Feria de la Chinita in Barcelona

Barcelona is a city that is blessed with a very rich events programming. The fact that is has a population composed by people from all over the world makes it possible for citizens to experience events that share customs and traditions of foreign countries.

One of those events is known as Feria de la Chinita.

Feria de la Chinita is an annual event, a religious festival that takes place between the 17^th and 19^th of November in Maracaibo, a city in Venezuela. The Feria’s purpose is to celebrate the miracle of the Chiquinquirá Virgin, patron saint of the state of Zulia.

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The legend of Chiquinquirá Virgin

According to legend, Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá or Chiquinquirá Virgin appeared to a humble old lady by the name of María Cárdenas in the year of 1709. The woman was washing clothes in the river Coquivacoa, when she found a small wooden tablet floating on the water. Not knowing what it was but thinking she could find some use for it, Cárdenas took the table home with her. The following day, María was drawn to the tablet when she started hearing a knocking sound, and was amazed to find that the tablet was shinning, showing the image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá in it. The woman ran out of the house shouting “Milagro!”.

From that day on, the Chiquinquirá Virgin is celebrated in Maracaibo.

The evolution of Feria de la Chinita

Feria de la Chinita started as a religious event celebrated only at Maracaibo, where the event took place. During the sixties, the Feria started to grow and started to be celebrated all over Venezuela. Today, Feria de la Chinita is an event with concerts, food stands and a variety of activities that is celebrated in international cities like New York, Rome and Amsterdam.

Feria de la Chinita in Barcelona

The Feria de la Chinita started being celebrated in Barcelona in 2012, an event in which people have the opportunity of experiencing traditional Venezuelan food like pabellón Criollo, cachitos de jamón, cachapas, patacones, and bollitos pelones; enjoy live concerts, and purchase items like jewelery, t-shits, flags, candy and a variety of products of Venezuelan origin.

Advice from a Venezuelan in Barcelona

If you are part of the Venezuelan community and want to learn more about living in Barcelona, visit Antonio Rengifo Nuñez’s blog, Venezolano en Barcelona.