This Sunday, for the first time, the image of the Virgin ascended to the Cathedral of Ibiza to the rhythm of «tambors, castanyoles i flautes» as a prelude to the Feast of Saint Mary, the patron saint of the island. After the Triduum dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows had been completed at the Church of Santa Cruz, around 20 ‘sonadors’ responded to the call of Bishop Vicent Ribas. He explained that, as she is the patron saint, he had decided to invite all the ‘sonadors’ to accompany her with music from the local area.
Ribas did not rule out extending this custom to other processions, and he acknowledged that he was very happy with the people’s response to all these events. Until last year, the Agrupación Musical Yacente Ibiza (Ibiza Recumbent Music Group) provided the music for the procession.
Just minutes earlier, he had encouraged everyone attending Mass to visit the cathedral on the Feast of Santa Maria, even though it was rather hot.
However, the presence of ‘sonadors’ was not the only novelty of the afternoon. The last day of the Triduum served as an introduction to the Portadors de Santa Maria brotherhood, a new group of around 30 young people aged between 18 and 35.
President Joan Carles Rodríguez acknowledged that the ‘ideologist’ of this brotherhood is the bishop himself, who asked them to form a group comprising representatives from all the municipalities in Ibiza, as well as from the island of Formentera.
«There are both men and women, and we want it to be open to everyone in the Pitiusas, encouraging them to revive this tradition. In the past, the same image exhibited in the cathedral was carried in procession. Since 2019, however, a replica has been carried: the Pilgrim Virgin, which visits all the parishes of Ibiza and Formentera. Members of other brotherhoods carried the image, and we are very grateful to them,« said the president.
He pointed out that they had been rehearsing in the parish of Sant Pere in the days leading up to the event, practising the hymn to Saint Mary that they would sing at the end of the procession. «We are looking forward to it with great enthusiasm», he insisted.
Before the mass, the bishop took the opportunity to bless the medals of the young brothers and sisters while carrying the Virgin to the Cathedral. In turn, to thank him for founding and shaping the new group, the brotherhood presented Ribas with a commemorative medal. «The bishop wants it to be a very Ibizan procession,« concluded Rodríguez.
With the church of Santa Cruz packed to the rafters, dozens of people followed the procession accompanying the Virgin to Ibiza Cathedral. Tomorrow, the different religious celebrations will take place there to mark the patron saint’s day.