Feasts and Festival Celebrations in Manila

     People of all walks of life enjoy the feasts and festival of Manila. There are many feasts and festivals that people eagerly await.

FEAST OF THE BLACK NAZARENE

     A grand Fiesta held every 9th of January in Quiapo, Manila. This festival centers on the image of the Black Nazarene which was transported by galleon from Mexico to Manila in the 17th century. The festival is marked by an afternoon procession by thousands of devotees.

SANTA CRUZAN

     This celebration is done during the month of May. The Santacruzan is a procession commemorating St. Helena's finding the "True Cross"; preceded by nine-day Novena in honor of the Holy Cross. On the ninth day, usually on a weekend, the Santacruzan is held. The Reyna Elena, accompanied by a little boy representing King Constantine, and the other sagalas representing biblical characters and the attributes of the Blessed Virgin, walk under gaily decorated arches.

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPCION

     A Eucharistic celebration of the Feast Day of the La Immaculada, patroness of Intramuros, capped by a grand procession of more than 50 Marian images from all over the country and participated in by thousands of devotees. This is done every 8th of December in Intramuros, Manila

SAN FERNANDO GIANT LANTERN FESTIVAL

     A fiesta in honor of one of the oldest Marian images in the country (it was found by Legazpi's soldiers amidst the foliage of a pandan shrub on the shores of Ermita in 1571) - the La Nuestra Señora de Guia, patroness of seafarers and also known as Our Lady of Expectations. The main event of the fiesta is the Bota de Flores, a reenactment of a select group of young ladies and their escorts in sailor costumes of the procession returning the La Nuestra Señora de Guia to its reconstructed shrine in 1918. This fiesta is held every December in Ermita, Manila.

     Filipinos by heart are devotees to what they learned and believed in and because of that people tends to respect what the Filipino culture and values impart on them.

Original essay by Patricia Nicole
September 8, 2004