Government of Nueva Esparta organizes festivities in honor of the Virgin of the Valley

Published at: 18/08/2026 09:35 PM

The governor of the state of Nueva Esparta, Marisel Velásquez, held a meeting in her office to coordinate the upcoming festivities in honor of the Virgin of the Valley, whose central celebration takes place in the coming month of September.

In a publication on its website, the Government of the Bolivarian State of Nueva Esparta, noted that the meeting was attended by Monsignor Fernando Castro Aguayo, bishop of the Diocese of Margarita; the pastor of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Valley, Andrés Villarroel; Vice Admiral Pedro González Rubio, commander of the Integral Defense Operational Zone (ZODI) No. 71 Nueva Esparta, and the commissioner José Medina, director of Security and Public Order of the Government.

Governor Velásquez in her speech sent a message of tranquility and hope, “to my dear Neo-Spartan people, here we are, gathered, planning and organizing what will be the festivities in honor of our patron saint, the Virgin of the Valley”.

For his part, Monsignor Fernando Castro Aguayo emphasized that, although all religious traditions will be maintained, in 2026 the celebrations will be marked by moderation, due to the grief that the country and the sister nation of Colombia are going through.

“We're going to celebrate internally, a lot. We will bring the joy of the Virgin to every corner and we will have our processions. However, we have requested a great deal of sobriety in all the celebrations,” said the bishop.

He also highlighted the importance of ensuring the inclusion and safety of parishioners. “We are concerned and concerned about the inclusion of people in celebrations. For this reason, the Security Forces are committed to ensuring that we can all participate fruitfully and as easily as possible in everything related to our mother, the Virgin of the Valley,” he said.

The authorities agreed to deploy a logistical and security operation to allow these patron saint festivities to be lived with devotion and tranquility, keeping alive the faith that identifies the islanders.

Mazo News Team