SOME WEEKS are utterly charming like last week. Apart from the cool weather and the unceasing rains that inspired me to write “Pitter-patter on a Wednesday” which by the way resonated with my readers, thank you very much – it only goes to show that there are countless sentimental souls like me out there, I also enthusiastically engaged my brilliant guest Judge Marivic Trabajo-Daray on Saturday’s Woman Talk, and by Sunday, had a blast visiting four houses to savor the famed Boholano fiesta by joining cousin Chuchi Lungay and hubby Erwin Chatto together with their indefatigable kids Zach and Moira on a fiesta house-hopping mode in Barangay Hanopol, Balilihan, Bohol!
My Sunday goal was simply to have fun and relish the festive ambiance and I wasn’t disappointed. We arrived around mid-morning and the streets were already filled with vehicles progressing until evening.
The last fiesta I joined in Bohol was on September 7, 2022, in Loon but I only went to two houses, haha! However, this fiesta experience in Hanopol was record-breaking with four houses in one day! It was my definition of fun and a full belly! Thank you so much to our hosts for the grand time.
The fiestas in Bohol are part and parcel of the Boholano culture and tradition. Since I grew up in this island-province and it was a regular fair, it never occurred to me to question or learn the practical details of its origins. Like Catholicism, I grew up in a highly Catholic culture, it never occurred to me to probe as well. Of course, my father’s side is Protestant, so I get to appreciate the difference.
According to merriam-webster.com, fiesta is a “festival specifically: a saint’s day celebrated in Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines with processions and dances.” If you will note, the Philippines is mentioned side by side Spain and Latin America. It connotes that this tradition brought to us by the Spaniards when they colonized us for three-and-a-half century had been embedded in our unique blended culture. I say unique because we have embraced the colonizers’ cultures in our psyche.
Historically, the beginnings of the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines occurred when explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived on our shores in 1521, thereafter claiming it as a colony for Mother Spain. Colonization lasted until the Philippine Revolution in 1898.
Having been colonized as well by the Americans, we adopted both the American and Spanish cultures. I wonder, had the Japanese stayed longer, would we have seized the Japanese’s penchant for cleanliness, orderliness, and disaster preparedness? They have impeccable habits which we Filipinos could have profited from.
Thus, fiestas are rooted in our culture. It’s such a big loss that the significance of the Spanish language was lost on us Filipinos. We could have spoken the language now like we speak English. And yet, we were under their dominion for three hundred years! ¡Qué pérdida!
I was away from Bohol for about thirty years, and I must admit I have looked forward to attending fiestas. You see, one goes to a fiesta, and one sees people they haven’t met in a while which is a treat! It’s also like a mini reunion with family and friends gathering together. It’s fun and memorable at the same time, not to mention la mesa teeming with tasty food and a smaller table packed with desserts. I couldn’t complain.
By afternoon, the community mass was about to start, and people began to congregate at the church. Near the church was the gym where workers were busy installing gigantic speakers and amplifiers for the evening dancing.
By evening, the music was blaring from the gym while the lights were gleaming through the windows of our host’s house located near the church compound. So much for a good sleep that night, huh!
A procession happened too, passing by the same house. Hence, all the elements of a fiesta were present: food, people, church to honor their patron saint, religious procession, and dancing. It’s truly a festivity!
We left Hanopol at around eight thirty in the evening. Alongside the fun, food, people, and fête, my other goal was accomplished: an experience about which I can write! For after all, writers need inspiration, and a fiesta celebration is nothing less than an inspiration!
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Writer hosts Woman Talk with Belinda Sales at 91.1 Balita FM Tagbilaran City every Saturday, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. She can be reached at belindabelsales@gmail.com. Twitter @ShilohRuthie./PN
