Thursday kicked off the 83rd annual Biloxi Blessing of the Fleet in Biloxi, Miss. This yearly event is devoted to celebrating the start of the local shrimping season with in this gulf coast town with a weekend of festivals, church masses and a king and queen coronation.
The festivities began with a mass at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, which was dedicated to the fishermen who have lost their lives while out at sea.
Friday will feature the Past Royalty Reception, where previous Shrimp Kings and Queens gather at a small gala to celebrate the impending weekend festivities and are honored for their past contributions to the shrimp industry in Biloxi.
The Fais Do-Do street party is an all-day festival that takes place on Saturday, the day before the Blessing of the Fleet. It hosts a variety of craft booths with hand-made jewelry, artwork, gifts and more. Stations are set up with different types of seafood delights, hamburgers, hotdogs, ice cream, cotton candy and barbecue. It is $5 per adult and children under 12 are free to get in the festival.
In the midst of the festival activities is a 4 p.m. mass to honor the blessing of the fleet at St. Michael Church. The coronation of the Shrimp King and Queen follows immediately after at 5:30 p.m.
A tradition since 1948, one young woman and one man is chosen as Biloxi’s Shrimp King and Queen. In order to become Shrimp Queen, the young woman must be of high school age, is required to compete in a pageant and must have familial ties to the seafood community. The winner receives prize money to be used for college expenses.
Chosen beforehand, the Shrimp King is usually an older man who has worked hard in the seafood industry for years. For one year, the King and Queen reign and help the priest and bishop conduct the Blessing of the Fleet aboard the Blessing Boat.
The main and final event of the weekend, the Blessing of the Fleet takes place on Sunday at 2 p.m. The priest of St. Michael Church (Friar Greg Barras) and the bishop of the Biloxi diocese (Bishop Roger Morin) give a blessing for each boat and wish them safe and prosperous journeys fishing in the upcoming months. This has the priest and bishop standing on the stationary “Blessing Boat” as each boat floats past. The boats are decorated and make a procession out into the Mississippi Sound, waiting for its chance to be blessed and sprinkled by Holy Water.
More information can be found at www.biloxiblessing.com and questions, concerns or suggestions can be sent to admin@biloxiblessing.com.
**Written for for Southern Hospitality In May of 2012.
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