https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Residents of the tiny village of Pontenova in the north-west of Spain have refused to carry a statue of the Virgin Mary in the traditional annual parade because they claim that a local parish priest has swapped the original for a fake copy and pocketed all the decorative jewels. https://www.thelocal.es/20140909/villagers-accuse-priest-of-swapping-virgin-statue Tue, 09 Sep 2014 12:57:00 +0200 villagers-accuse-priest-of-swapping-virgin-statue Thousands of people in the Canary city of Puerto de la Cruz attended a boat procession on Tuesday which saw their patron saint of fishermen taken out to sea. https://www.thelocal.es/20140716/pic-of-the-day-islanders-take-virgin-for-a-splash Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:03:00 +0200 pic-of-the-day-islanders-take-virgin-for-a-splash One of the 28 Easter parades held in Spain's Alicante province last week took an unexpected turn when a statue of the Virgen de los Dolores toppled from her float and almost landed on the heads of her bearers. https://www.thelocal.es/20140423/video-virgin-falls-from-float-in-easter-fail Wed, 23 Apr 2014 13:29:00 +0200 video-virgin-falls-from-float-in-easter-fail The Spanish interior ministry's decision to award the Gold Medal of Police Merit, the highest honour of the country's national force, to an image of the Virgin Mary has been described as "mockery" by Police union chiefs. https://www.thelocal.es/20140226/police-fury-over-spanish-virgin-mary-medal-award Wed, 26 Feb 2014 15:55:00 +0100 police-fury-over-spanish-virgin-mary-medal-award Locals in Pedrajas de San Esteban were shocked to find thieves had stolen the local Virgin Mary's golden crown the night before the village's annual pilgrimage. https://www.thelocal.es/20130401/valladolid-virgin-has-her-crown-stolen-before-holy-procession Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:41:00 +0200 valladolid-virgin-has-her-crown-stolen-before-holy-procession