(This blog post will feature Filipino popular devotions to Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.)
Introduction
There are three popular devotions rooted in folk Catholicism in the Philippines: the Sto. Niño (devotion to the Infant Jesus), the Señor Nazareno (devotion to the image of the Black Nazarene), and Ina ng Laging Saklolo (devotion to Mary as Our Lady of Perpetual Help). The first two devotions are celebrated every year in the month of January, and the third is celebrated every month of June.
The Sto. Niño
The devotion to the Sto. Niño is celebrated all over the islands of the Philippines. The local Church in the Philippines sets aside the 2nd Sunday of the Year (after the feast of the Lord's Baptism), for the feast day of the Sto. Niño. The feast of the Sto. Niño is accompanied with great color, festivities, and parades with an infectious drum beat that can influence any passerby to dance along with the parade. Devotion to the Sto. Niño is so popular that even commercial establishments (micro, small, medium and big), reserve an altar in their workplace for the image of the Infant Jesus.
The Black Nazarene
Another devotion that characterizes the popular religiosity of the Filipino people is the devotion to the Black Nazarene. The celebration for Señor Nazareno is more localized - just within the vicinities and areas of Quiapo Church in Manila (where it is officially enshrined). Every year, the image is borne in a big procession by a great throng of devotees (wearing maroon and yellow attire - the colors associated with the image of the Black Nazarene). This devotion appeals greatly to the Filipino masses, who identify much with the suffering of Jesus carrying the Cross (the Black Nazarene is a life-size image of Jesus with a black face carrying the Cross).
Ina ng Laging Saklolo
Another devotion that appeals to Filipino popular religiosity is the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Although the feast is celebrated every June, many people regularly flock every Wednesday to the shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Parañaque City - south of Manila City proper. Introduced in the country by the Redemptorists, a novena Mass is celebrated every Wednesday in the afternoon. There are so many devotees that people are accustomed to experience heavy traffic every Wednesday afternoon until early evening.
Folk religiosity or folk Catholicism
Catholicism was brought to Philippine shores by the Spanish friars in the mid-16th century. It is from Spanish Catholicism that Filipinos inherited the festive celebration of religious feasts. Over the centuries, Catholicism has been rooted deeply into the Filipino spirituality that it eventually evolved into what Jesuit author Frank Lynch terms as "folk religiosity" or "folk Catholicism". By folk Catholicism, Fr. Frank Lynch refers to the common people's great trust in God and their "traditional year-round mixing of culture and religion". He conceptualizes folk Catholicism in the Philippines as a "unique blend of official Catholic ritual and belief, peninsular Spanish and Mexican cultural traits, and the preexistent Malay spirit of the Filipinos".
A tourist-drawer and attraction to crowds
Of the three examples of folk Catholicism mentioned above, the one that attracts the most tourists from all over the world, is the celebration of the feast of the Sto. Niño. This is due to the revelry, feasting, and joyful atmosphere that it creates. Christmas is also a joyful time in the Philippines with its tradition of Simbang Gabi (early morning novena Masses from December 16-24), but its joyful atmosphere is more solemn and prayerful in comparison to the feast of the Sto. Niño. It is the parade for the Sto. Niño that attracts tourists. The parade has a dance that is rooted in ancient tribal dancing - making it very interesting (because dancers paint themselves in many bright colors and wear a variety of tribal garbs).
No comments:
Post a Comment