Visit this site's official
and updated version
ng Palanyag (Parañaque Day), February 15. Originally set on
November30, Araw ng Palanyag or Parañaque Day was moved to January
15 by the City Council to commemorate Parañaque's cityhood
anniversary. Usually a week-long affair, the city-wide celebrations
include such notable events as the Sambalilo Festival, Regatta de
Palanyag, and the Komedya.
Komedya. Aside from being a highlight in the celebrations
on the Feast of St. Dionisus, Araw ng Palanyag is also commemorated
with stage plays called Komedyas or Moro-Moros where local actors and
actresses called Komedyantes and Prinsesas take center stage and do
choreographed swordfights and render long poetic verses. The stage
plays change plots yearly and depicts 16th-17th century romance,
religious conflicts, war, and peace. The Komedya was born in the
classic community of San Dionisio. They gained national attention
and acclaim when the Komedya garnered the top award in the Board of
Travel (now Philippine Tourism Authority) - sponsored first
Santacruzan Festival in 1958.
March - April
Semana Santa or Holy Week. Most Paraqueños are keen observers
of the lenten season which falls between the months of March and
April, just like the rest of most of the Christian world. However,
the Parañaque folk, being a religious lot, observe such Lenten
activities as Linggo ng Palaspas (Palm Sunday), Pasyon, Sinakulo
which is a local version of the Via Crucis, and Salubong or Easter
Vigil, with a fervent solemnity that may rarely be witnessed in other
Linggo ng Palaspas or Domingo de Ramos starts off
the Holy Week with the usual metaphorical rendition of Christ's entry
into Jerusalem, with the congregation bringing their palm fronds to
church so that they may be blessed; they would afterwards bring home
the fronds and display them in their altars believing that these will
aid in the plea for the forgiveness of sins and that they will bring
blessings from above, keep illness away, and ward off evil. But
ultimately, the fronds' main purpose is to serve as reminders of
Christ’s passion and salvation.
Pasyon or Pabasa. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
of the Holy Week is the time when the Pasyon or Pabasa, which is the
chanting of the Savior’s life, passion, and death (as well as his
Resurrection), is held. It is done in chapels and in residences by
groups of community elders, usually 24 hours straight, with a peculiar
melody which has been very much attached to the ceremony. Although
the actual chanting is done by certain individuals shifting from time
to time, such activities revolving around the Pasyon as refreshments,
shift-scheduling, financing, and the like are accomplished with the
complete cooperation of parishioners.
Sinakulo or Via Crucis (Way of the Cross). On
Good Friday, parishes all over Parañaque perform the Sinakulo or Via
Crucis (Way of the Cross), a street presentation or a stage enactment
of Christ’s arrest, mocking, trial, painful way to Calvary (Golgotha),
crucifixion, and death on the cross. Verses are recited and sang
while colorful costumes reminiscent of Cecil B. DeMille productions
are worn accordingly. There are also actual flagellations and nailings
to the cross of penitents as expressions of devotion and penance.
Performances are superb and have been critically acclaimed even by the
most respected Filipino artists and thespians. Even non-devotees are
observed to have been moved to tears by the ceremony. And all these
are done under the scorching sun of the Philippines' notorious summers!
Salubong (Easter Vigil) and Pasko ng Pagkabuhay (Feast
of the Resurrection). The Easter Festivity
unfolds at dawn with the traditional Salubong or Easter Vigil, a
procession heralding the resurrection of Christ and his reunion with
Mary. While the images of Mother and Son are placed side-by-side, a
little girl dressed up like an angel replaces the Blessed Virgin’s
black veil of grief and mourning with a white one as the osana, a hymn
of praise and adoration endemic to Parañaque, is sung. The Feast
culminates with the celebration of a Holy Mass followed by the
simultaneous rendition in the different barangays of the Sayaw ng
Pagbati, a "Welcome Dance" that is also a Parañaque original. After
this, the usual Easter ceremonies are held with much joy and
celebration in the communities.
Labor Day, May 1. Just like the rest of the world, Parañaque
celebrates Labor Day with much applomb and celebration. However,
unlike those celebrations observed in other places, there are rarely
oratories of proletariat advocacies and emancipation of the masses. On
the contrary, Paraqueños celebrate Labor Day as the triumph of
economic democracy in the city which is known to be a utopia of labor
and management cooperation for the sake of progress and prosperity.
Demonstrations from the left are unavoidable, but these are very
minimal compared to the solidarity manifested by the majority of
Paraqueños who consider class struggle as a myth that is irrelevant
to their city.
Flores de Mayo. After nine days of prayer, a procession
of Sagalas, usually the town’s fairest ladies, is held. Each is
assigned a title of Our Lady while the last and most prominent one in
the entourage represents Reyna Elena or Queen Helena who found
Christ’s cross; the boy escorting her portrays the Queen’s young
Constantine. Flores de Mayo is a Spanish term meaning the Flowers of
May which figuratively refers to the Sagalas and the offering of
flowers to the Blessed Virgin in all the parishes. Ironically, after
the offerings, parishioners would then be collecting as much offered
flowers as they could gather in the belief that their having been
blessed would somehow rub off on them. The Santacruzan is closely
associated, sometimes mistaken for and confused with the Flores.
Actually, the former is the 9-day period of prayer or novena that
comes before the latter. The honor of being Reyna Elena is usually
reserved for the family that has volunteered to serve as the major
sponsor of the celebration.
Sunduan. The term sunduan is derived from the word sundo
which literally means "to fetch" and relates to an old courtship
custom of waiting on one’s lady love, accompanying her to the town
plaza, and bringing her home. Sunduan is another celebration unique
to Parañaque. It conveys the message that Paraqueños are romantics;
that their womenfolk are regarded with love and respect; and that
Chivalry is alive in Parañaque. But digging deeper into this
celebration, the sunduan is another metaphor of Christ's and Mary's
ascension to heaven; in this case the young ladies represent the two
divinities while the gentlemen take the place of the heavenly spirits.
This allegory is strengthened by the fact that although there is no
immediate spiritual significance to the ceremony, it is still the
parish that usually organizes this event.
Caracol. Barangay Baclaran becomes more alive during
the month of May when preparations and the actual celebration of
Caracol is observed as a highlight to the township's Feast of Sta.
Rita de Cascia, its patron saint. During the affair, Baclaran folk,
together with those from the nearby barangays, take to the streets
with males wearing drag and females in gentlemen's attire. This merry
crowd takes it to task to deliver the august image of Sta. Rita
from her shrine in the local parish to Manila Bay and back again in a
lengthy procession that signifies renewal of spirit and of devotion to
the patron. The merriment would continue unto the twilight hours until
such time that the celebrants drop from fatigue and characteristic
inebriation for the annual internal change that they go through.
Resources courtesy of the City Information Office, City Hall, Parañaque.