Viva! Viva Maria! Viva! Viva Maria! Viva! Viva! A strong, unsynchronized yet passionate cheer was heard from the devotees and parishioners of the image of Our Lady of Abandoned (Tagalog: Ina ng Walang Mag Ampon, Spanish: Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados) when we entered the gate of Sta. Ana Church. Pooshhh! And a colorful confetti welcomed us, fell slowly and freely from the ceiling to the ground. I was near the walkway to the altar when I said "Thank God! (sigh) Finally the procession is over".
Ok, you might be thinking what is this all about? It was the flowery and grand fiesta procession I attended last May 12 in Sta. Ana, one of the towns in the city of Manila. I'd say, living here is an advantage for someone who is a culture-seeker, history buff and foodie like me. Old houses, church and great eateries to food crawl. There are streets that will somewhat bring you back to the old style Manila.
Grand Fiesta Procession is one of the activities of Tesoros De Los Desamparados Festival, Santa Ana's very own festival showcasing the rich treasures of its culture and history. In the Philippines, being colonized by different countries like Spain, culture has evolved like my favorite food "menudo", we can now put it on pizza. Where majority of the population are catholic, fiesta or festival is no longer foreign and has become part of the colorful culture of the filipinos.
Viva! A cheer commonly hear during this kind of occasion means long live or "Mabuhay!" in Tagalog/Filipino. Like Brazil, a country known for their spectacular festival Carnival, Philippines has lots of festivals too that everyone will surely love. Almost like an all year round, kicks off by roughly second week of January, the Feast of the Black Nazarene (Tagalog: Pista ng Itim na Poong Nazareno) in Quiapo, Manila, Sinulog in Cebu, Ati-Atihan in Aklan, Dinagyang in Iloilo and really a lot more. May is also a month where most fiesta(s) are being held, that's why as part of it there is "Flores de Mayo" or also known as "Sagala/Santacruzan". These catholic traditions just indicate how healthy this religion is in the Philippines, many filipinos embraced it and later on became part of the culture. So let's get to know more this festival in Sta.Ana.
A very festive atmosphere welcomed me when I went to Santa Church. Drumbeats were heard all over the place and "banderitas" were perfectly decorated. I was like 10 minutes late but since we have this "Filipino Time" where occasion like this doesn't normally starts on time I felt I still went there sharp.
Image of Our Lady of the Abandoned or Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados. The main and important image during the procession.
The procession started early 6pm. Different marching bands from blue to red-colored uniforms led off. Batons twirled and drumbeats were heard again. #LetusbeginwithaBang
Different images were beautifully aligned and exited one at a time. There were more than 10 images I saw during the procession and all of them, by just looking at it, truly underwent a huge effort from the devotees. #Splendid
There was a stage outside the parish where the priests stayed to bless each image and a brief information was also given for the benefit of the doubts I guess, also as part of the grand fiesta procession.
March of Faith.
"At Last! Image is finally home!" I said. Procession was over and more than 3 hours of walk was a success. Route was not that smooth due to traffic and not so spacious streets we passed. Everything was like a first time again, it was more than 10 years ago when I did my last procession, so I felt that everything was new again, I missed the part where I grab flowers after the procession from different images, this I'd say my personal belief that I should always get a remembrance and because of this occasion I was able to do it again. Ask me how many did I get? Perfect to make a bouquet. Honestly, even if I'm catholic I am not a fun of images, I always believe that my faith is beyond that but I truly respect this tradition we have. I always say that every religion we have, exists not to harm us. Traditions, beliefs and practices may be a question mark to some but as long as these help create positivity to a dying faith of a person then we'll go for it. Respect begets respect like what they say. Well, I have learned a lot from this, somehow this can help you not only spiritually, mentally but also physically, I sweat a lot as if I went to the gym, like a 1 hour stationary bike . So, I guess this is all for today, Viva! to all of us.
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