nd celebrate they did. The Filipinos seem ready to embrace any event with heartfelt passion and emotion. The eve before the big parade, a solemn procession of the original Santo Nino is paraded through the streets. In true Filipino fashion, hundreds of people followed the procession with their icon replicas while others lined the streets with candles and incense raising their hands in honor of the statue as it passed by. On the day of the big parade, villages from all over the islands sent dance troops to perform. Some come to perform their customary tribal dances and others to perform a dance rendition of Magellan's arrival and the presentation of the Santo Nino to Juana. (Incidentally, in these dance renditions, Magellan looked and dressed surprisingly like the pope.)
t's almost impossible to describe how magical the day appeared. People in bright costumes proudly presenting their heritage to the sounds of tribal drums, elaborate displays and floats of Santo Nino cruising by with local celebs, and tireless musicians woo-ing the crowd with party music. Onlookers participated with their own costumes of the day as vendors supplied the crowd with masks, facepaint, and tattoos - transforming the whole city into a big charade. Perhaps, the only shortfall of the day was the unlimited number of performers. The parade never ended. After five hours roadside in the hot sun and occasional burst of rain, we had to throw in the towel. But with us or without us, the beat went on...
nd celebrate they did. The Filipinos seem ready to embrace any event with heartfelt passion and emotion. The eve before the big parade, a solemn procession of the original Santo Nino is paraded through the streets. In true Filipino fashion, hundreds of people followed the procession with their icon replicas while others lined the streets with candles and incense raising their hands in honor of the statue as it passed by. On the day of the big parade, villages from all over the islands sent dance troops to perform. Some come to perform their customary tribal dances and others to perform a dance rendition of Magellan's arrival and the presentation of the Santo Nino to Juana. (Incidentally, in these dance renditions, Magellan looked and dressed surprisingly like the pope.)
t's almost impossible to describe how magical the day appeared. People in bright costumes proudly presenting their heritage to the sounds of tribal drums, elaborate displays and floats of Santo Nino cruising by with local celebs, and tireless musicians woo-ing the crowd with party music. Onlookers participated with their own costumes of the day as vendors supplied the crowd with masks, facepaint, and tattoos - transforming the whole city into a big charade. Perhaps, the only shortfall of the day was the unlimited number of performers. The parade never ended. After five hours roadside in the hot sun and occasional burst of rain, we had to throw in the towel. But with us or without us, the beat went on...
