On January 22, the procession of Saint Vincent the Martyr, or San Vicente de Martir, occurs between the Valencia Cathedral and the Plaza of the Virgen. I would be able to walk it in about 3-5 minutes, but the procession takes much longer with an indirect path strewn by greenery. I was also able to pop through a side street and watch the procession again from a much closer vantage point, and saw that leaves were being dropped from watchers who lived on the streets. These Valencians know how to put up a gathering, that’s for sure!
The procession started with the ringing of the church bells for a number of minutes, which is always a neat experience. For the procession itself, there were various folks dressed in clothing of the period, a military honor guard, a number of clerics, a band, a couple of horsemen, and then, just for fun, I joined the end of the procession and walked with it for a bit. All in all, it was a great experience!
Links of Interest:
- http://www.valenciatrader.com/valencia/valenciafiestas/san-vincente
- http://www.holavalencia.net/2009/01/21/festival-of-san-vicente-martir/
I knew I was close. There were medieval knights buying coffee and a quick breakfast.
