Every second Sunday of the month of February, the town of Pateros, a suburb of the greater metropolitan area of Manila, erupts in euphoric celebration on the occasion of the yearly feast day of its Patron and Champion, Saint Martha, or Santa Marta, better known in biblical anthology as the elder sister of Lazarus and Mary. The local Church which stands at the very center of the town is dedicated to Santa Marta, and dubbed as the Dambana ng Mahal na Santa Marta. This shows how endeared Santa Marta is to Pateros residents, although the local parish itself is known historically and officially as the Parish of San Roque.
The town of Pateros is distinct from most municipalities in the country, in that it celebrates the feast days of two catholic saints, the first being Santa Marta, while, the second, San Roque, who is venerated on his feast day on the month of August. In the year 2015, Pateros will celebrate the 200th year of the establishment of the Parish of San Roque, and this promises to be an even bigger celebration due to the bicentennial jubilee. Local Parish Priest Fr. Roy Rosales and local Mayor Jose Medina will lead the Festivities, now eagerly awaited by townspeople and observers alike.
For the length of the second February weekend, however, residents will revere Santa Marta with masses, floral offerings, and an unaccountable number of parades of street dancing revelers. Capping the celebrations are the two decades old Pandangguhan Festival, and the traditional Pasubo. The Pandangguhan is a celebration of various choreographies and interpretations of the localized Pandanggo dance, joined in by a good number of dance groups all vying for the bragging rights as the year's Pandangguhan Champion. The Pasubo on the other hand is an activity of gift giving, to court warm tidings and good will, where the revelers and devotees of Santa Marta are showered literally by gifts of food and goodies, which include suman (glutinous rice sweetly cooked in leaves of coconut or banana), fruits, and the local delicacy, balut (duck embryo cooked inside its own shell), by the spectators and townspeople. At once the scene looks quite chaotic, and harkens to a period when local peasants look up to their masters and hacienderos for food, support and providence. However, the Pasubo now is celebrated in good fun, and part of the festive reverence for the town's beloved Pintakasi.
Pateros is the smallest municipality of the Metropolitan Manila area, although residents proudly claim its residents have the biggest heart. It was formerly a town of the province of Rizal, before the gerrymandering antics of a former Philippine President. It lies at the junction of the cities of Pasig, Taguig and Makati, even as it manages to preserve its small town charm amidst the bustling modernity of it neighbor cities.
Visit attymaj's Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/attymaj to see more photos (c) all rights reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment