TURIS kag KURIS: Jaro Fiesta: The Feast of La Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria

(Jaro Fiesta, 2011)

There are so many things to do in Jaro during the annual celebration of the Candelaria, and the most that one can do here is to walk. Admittedly, the traffic has always been a concern during the Jaro Fiesta and you have to practically walk your way to get to the cathedral and plaza areas. I was having second thoughts at first because my right ankle was still hurting from having twisted it when I slipped on our bathroom floor, but I decided to go anyway. It has been an agenda of my sister and I to go to Jaro during its annual fiesta for a few years now, either to visit and eat at some of our friends' house, to go to church, to go to the Garden and Flower Show in the plaza, or guiltily, to rummage at the "ukay-ukay".

February 2 is a very significant date for all Catholic Ilonggos. It marks the feast of La Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of the Candles). The main activities of the fiesta include the blessing of the wax candles called the “perdon”, the nine-day vigil, the hourly liturgical masses on February 2, and the grand procession of the image of the Candelaria. The grand procession also features the Carnival Queen and all the associated pageantry and ceremony that go with it.The fiesta queen usually comes from one of the prominent families of the place. Besides the religious prominence of the Candelaria feast, another popular event associated with the Jaro Fiesta is the cockfighting derby at the Iloilo Coliseum, where cockfighting aficionados from all over the Philippines meet.

(Jaro Fiesta, 2011)

History of the Candelaria

Internationally known as the Candlemas Virgin, the title of Our Lady of the Candles was given to Our Blessed Virgin Mary to commemorate the Presentation of Jesus and Mary's own rite of Purification according to Jewish Law. The celebration of the Candlemas Festival can be traced back A.D. 400 in Jerusalem, and spread to the west in the 17th century. The feast involves the blessing of the candles and the procession of lights with Mary as the bearer of light. This devotion to Our Lady spread in Spain and its colonies. In the Philippines, the first image of the Candelaria was endorsed by Lt. Don Cristobal Mercado for the settlement of Paco in the 1600s. In the early 1900s, there were nine towns that were advocates of the image of the Candelaria, namely Morong, Bataan; Mabitac, Laguna; Candelaria, Quezon; Candelaria, Surigao; Paracale and Ambos, Camarines Norte; Sta. Maria, Mora; San Enrique in Negros Occidental, and Jaro of Iloilo. Now, more parishes who advocate the image of the Candelaria continue to flourish all over the country, but the grandest celebration of the Candelaria feast is observed in Jaro, making Jaro the center of Candlemas celebration in the country.

(Jaro Fiesta, 2011)

For decades now, Jaro has become the heart of Candelaria devotion in the country. The Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral, also known as St. Elizabeth of Hungary Cathedral, is the quarters of the Archdiocese of Jaro and the site of a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary, which was canonically crowned by the late Pope John Paul II during his Philippine visit in 1982, making it in fact the only religious icon in the country to have been personally crowned by a Pope.

Candles called "perdon", with stamps commemorating the image of the Candelaria and the date of the feast, are sold within the premises of the courtyard of the Cathedral. Every year there is a theme color for the candles. This year it is yellow and green.

Devotees of the Candelaria would fall in line to view the religious image that was personally crowned by Pope John Paul in 1982. There are three images of the Candelaria at the St. Elizabeth's Cathedral. The canonically crowned image is located at the upper balcony adjacent to the town plaza of Jaro. The second and third image were carved by Maximo Vicente, with the bigger replica located on the main altar, while the smaller one is brought out during the Candlemas procession.

The belfry of the Metropolitan Cathedral is located across a busy road, beside the Jaro Plaza

This ritual is called "palapak" wherein a miniature of the religious icon is gently pressed on the head or any area of the body for blessing and healing purposes.

Jaro Fiesta is also known for it's Garden and Flower Show within its plaza. People would also frequent the Jaro Plaza to view and buy flowers, ornamental plants, and saplings of fruit-bearing trees.

Outside and inside the plaza, it was jam-packed with stalls and people--fruit vendors, bibingka stalls, henna tattoo artists' stands, plants and flower stalls, pottery products section, balloon vendors, accessories and jewelry vendors to name a few. An entrance fee of 15 pesos is charged if you want to go to the "ukay-ukay" section. A bit steep, I must say. What is surprising this year however is the traffic, it's not as bad as the previous years. I think the city government is to be commended for improving the traffic this year. Finally, after so many years they managed to do something about it. Anyway, here are a few more pictures. Will still be back here next year.