Bicolandia recently celebrated their 300 years of devotion to Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia last 10-19 September 2010. Devotees from near and far flock the the streets and churches of Naga City to be part of this historical week-long celebration.
The celebration started with the Traslacion, where the image of Ina, as she is fondly cealled by her devotees, is transferred from the Peñafrancia Basilica Menore to the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. Then it will end with the Virgin of Peñafrancia going back to the Basilica through a fluvial parade on Bicol river. In between this two weekends, holy mass and other community activities are held all around Naga, though I found out that other places also celabrate the feast of the Virgin of Peñafrancia, even reaching to other countries like New Zealand, Spain and in Seine, France where it all began.
In May 1943, Simon Vela, a wealthy man from France who became a chamber in a Franciscan monastery had a vision of the Lady asking him to look for the image of the Virgin Mary in Peña, France. But after 5 years of looking, he found the image hidden behind a big rock in Galicia Spain. In 1792, an official of the Spanish government went to settle in Cavite. The son, Miguel Robles de Covarrubias, who is then a seminarian in the University of Sto. Tomas, fell ill. His family called for the intercession of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, and when Miguel got better, vowed to build a chapel in honor of the Virgin. When Miguel was ordained as a priest, he was sent to Naga and there he asked an artisan to carve an image of the Virgin. The miraculous power of the Virgin of Peñafrancia became known and the devotees started coming in from around the nearby towns and provinces.
For me, attending the Peñafrancia Fluvial Procession is also a beginning. I went there as a very curious tourist, an outsider if you may, and second as a student. We arrived in Pili, Camarines Sur airport Saturday 18th of September, it was hours before the procession at that time but it took us more or less an hour before we reached Naga. I was very excited that day, so after having lunch we went to Naga Metropolitan Cathedral to catch what's going on.
Upon arriving at the cathedral I notice 2 things, there were not too many people and it is just like any other usual atmosphere of a church on a Sunday. Blasphemous maybe, but at that moment, I was utterly unimpressed. We waited around to talk to some of the men who will carry and pull the float of Ina, careful not to start conversation with those who are obviously drunk. These men are called voyadores, having seen a group of young voyadores smoking in one corner of the church, I approached them, asked for a light, and then asked why on earth are other voyadores drinking while in this kind of celebration. Their answer was very simple: some of the voyadores drink alcohol scantily concealed in plastic and a straw because the stench of people inside the church and within the procession is just so repulsive that being under the influence of alcohol will definitely help one get through it.
We tried to get in the jampacked Metropolitan cathedral and when we did, it just surprises me that there really IS that unmistakable human stench. I said to myself then, is this the smell of sin vapors? Ha-ha. Joking aside, we were in and then gone from that church 5 minute tops.
Walking around the church square, I notice that people are starting to arrive, the sun burning hotter and me going more impatient. We went and wait for the procession to start in the outdoor altar together with what felt like a million people all with screaming and crying, snotty children. Being in an okay location, I decided to stay and wait for the procession to start. Every minute, I feel the people inching in on me, their warmth and sweat I can almost taste and the crying of the children drones louder. The procession should have started an hour ago, the people kept on coming, and while I am listening to the second praying of the rosary, I almost snapped. But then I realize that these people who were there with me at that time, these old people who seem to not mind the heat of the sun, the sweat, the smell, the waiting, do to not have any hint of impatience. I have to admit, that that realization felt like a light slap on the face, to me, an outsider to undermine and criticize this event.
Things became more clear to me when finally, the image of the Virgin of Peñafrancia was taken out of the cathedral and placed atop of the big sperical float. I am not a devotee, not even religious nor spiritual, but at that moment when the crowd was shouting “Viva La Virgen!” I too felt the energy. It was like the heat, sweat and impatience just melted away. I heard one middle-aged lady behind me crying and saying in bicolano “I want to see you Ina. Seeing you would make me the happiest.” I know I needed my place to take usable pictures, but feeling that kind of devotion from that lady I just had to give up my place and let her through to have a better view.
The streets looked like a sea of people waving handkerchiefs, the melodious duet of prayers and shouting “Viva La Virgen!” gave the procession a very festive yet solemn air. It is just unfortunate that I have to settle to wait in one of the bridge to see the fluvial parade because going any closer is just near impossible. All in all, the procession was a success, the lights of the Virgin of Peñafrancia's float is just magnificent. The people and the church really put an effort to give Ina the rightful devotion.
The feast of the Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia made me reallize a couple of things. One, that these kinds of celebration is not only a means of expressing one's devotion but moreso expressing it in a very artistic way. Outside the churches there were a lot of makeshift stalls selling commemorative t-shirts, bracelets and key chains, most of which were beautifully made.
Another is that necessity is not only the mother of invention but it could be of art too, well, sometimes. You can see this as to how the design of the floats of Virgin of Peñafrancia and of Divina Rostro were constructed beautifully in a very functional and stylish way. It is a spehere, protecting the images from people who wants to climb the float because of one reason or another, at the same time giving the images a good appearance through making it stand out among the crowd and all.
The Filipino has always been devout of patrons and other religious figures, but for me experiencing it first hand sent me waves of confusion, seeing that the devotion is that strong. I am aware that after the fluvial procession of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, I said to myself that I will never take part of such celebrations again. But now, after much pondering, I realized that I want to see more of it, perhaps next time I will go to the Nazarene procession in Quiapo or perhaps in Bocaue Bulacan pagoda fluvial parade. And surely, next year when I go to Naga during the feast of Peñafrancia , I will celebrate the feast with a deeper understanding than what I had the first time.
