Festas do Carme

In the heart of As Pontes, where the air hums with stories of both land and sea, a new mural has bloomed — a vibrant ode to faith, tradition, and community spirit. The work, created by Vigo-born artist Delio Rodríguez, captures the soul of the Festas do Carme, the town’s most beloved celebration.

It may seem curious that an inland municipality like As Pontes honors Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of sailors. Yet this devotion dates back centuries — to July 16, 1741, when locals first organized festivities in her name, replacing those of the Assumption. Nearly three hundred years later, that same spirit of joy and unity lives on in color and form across a concrete wall.

Delio’s mural, part of the As Pontes EnPezas project, stands just opposite the real chapel of El Carmen, creating a striking dialogue between art and architecture. The painted chapel bursts with light and life, mirroring its physical counterpart. Between the two, passersby find themselves framed at the intersection of reality and imagination — witnesses to an invisible thread linking past and present.

“I wanted to focus on what unites people,” says Rodríguez. “The festival brings everyone together — pagans and Christians are happy.”

His composition celebrates that unity through movement and music. A bagpiper and a tambourine player lead the way, symbols of Galicia’s folk tradition, summoning echoes of laughter and dance from the festivities of old. It’s not the usual image of an orchestra on a stage, but something deeper, a homage to the heartbeat of the town.

The mural came to life in just one week. Delio arrived in As Pontes on a Wednesday, prepping the wall and sketching his vision. By Saturday, he was painting under the open sky, racing against the forecast. On Tuesday, with rain clouds looming, he finished the final touches. “I did it with a lot of love,” he says, “and the locals were wonderful. As Pontes has a family-like warmth that you feel right away.”

Just a few steps from Nove Noel’s mural of the bandit Toribio, Delio’s piece joins the growing open-air gallery that turns the streets of As Pontes into a conversation between history and art.