Bocaue River Festival

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Bocaue River Festival
Kapistahan ng Pagoda sa Bocaue
09923jfBocaue Church Martin Boat Parish Diocese Bulacanjf 42.jpg
The Pagoda for the 2015 festivities.
StatusActive
Frequency1st Sunday of July
VenueBocaue River
Location(s)Bocaue, Bulacan
CountryPhilippines
Established1850
ParticipantsResidents of Bocaue, Devotees of the Holy Cross of Wawa
ActivityPagoda river procession, holy mass, novena, entertainment events

The Bocaue River Festival, also known as the Bocaue Pagoda Festival, is an annual religious celebration in Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines. It is known for its river procession dedicated to the Roman Catholic relic, the Holy Cross of Wawa (Krus sa Wawa).

History[]

The Bocaue River Festival's devotion is connected to the Holy Cross of Wawa (Krus sa Wawa), a wooden item found flowing in the Wawa section of the Bocaue River during an onslaught of a typhoon in 1850. According to local legend, a drowning woman was saved after she clung to the cross – an event later characterized as a miracle. The cross later kept in a riverside church after its retrieval, is believed to have come from an old church which was razed in a fire. A fluvial parade has been held since then as a tribute to the relic.[1][2][3]

In 1993, the barge carrying the festival pagoda – the fluvial parade's centerpiece, sank due to overloading of the watercraft. The accident came to be known as the Bocaue Pagoda tragedy. The procession was scaled down until in 2014 when a "grand pagoda" featured again in the festival.[2][4][5] The grand pagoda did not feature again in the 2020 celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Holy Cross of Wawa carried by a government-owned yacht instead.[3]

Observances[]

The Bocaue River Festival is observed every first Sunday of July, in honor of the Holy Cross of Wawa.[5] The cross housed at the Saint Martin of Tours Parish Church is considered as a relic and is believed to be miraculous by devotees.[6]

One notable observance is the fluvial parade or the river procession which features a structure known as the "pagoda".[7] Another custom is the ligiran where boats encircle the floating pagoda.[8] The cross itself or a replica would be placed on top of the structure during processions.[5] The Lutina, a nine-day novena is also held. The Bocaue municipal government also organize other entertainment events as part of the festivities.[7]

Since 2014, a holy mass was held on a floating pagoda to commemorate the victims of the 1993 pagoda tragedy with the structure anchored on the exact spot of the accident.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Lucenio, Marielle (July 10, 2019). "Tragedy fails to shake Filipino faith, religious tradition - UCA News". UCA News. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Reyes-Estrope, Carmela (June 27, 2014). "Town revives pagoda 21 years after tragedy". Inquirer Central Luzon. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Bulacan folk scale down pagoda in river festival". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "21 years after tragedy, Bocaue's floating pagoda sets sail again". GMA News. July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Deona, Marga (July 5, 2015). "Bocaue remembers 1993 pagoda tragedy". Rappler. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  6. ^ Romulo, Mons (March 20, 2018). "Top 10 must-see places & events in Bocaue, Bulacan". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Silverio, Frederick (July 7, 2019). "Bocaue celebrates Pagoda festival". The Manila Times. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  8. ^ "Lutina' or 9-day novena for Bocaue's Pagoda Festival begins". Radyo Natin. July 4, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
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