Millions seen to take part in 300th Peñafrancia feast

NAGA CITY—Millions of people are expected to descend on this city to celebrate a 300-year-old religious tradition that revolves around the Our Lady of Peñafrancia, or Ina, Bicol’s patroness.

A procession, called traslacion, will mark the start of 300 years of festivities that started in 1710.

On the ninth day of festivities, hundreds of thousands are expected to take part in a fluvial parade devoted to Ina.

The traslacion evolved with the growth in the number of devotees over the years, requiring the transfer of Ina’s image to a bigger venue—from the Peñafrancia Shrine to the Metropolitan Cathedral of this city.

Barefoot, all-male devotees are expected to carry the image of Ina, and that of Jesus Christ called Divino Rostro, on their shoulders from the shrine to the cathedral.

Over the years, the devotion spread throughout the region, then brought to other places inside and outside the country by growing number of devotees who descend on this city for the country’s only regional religious fiesta.

In line with this year’s theme, the Archdiocese of Caceres in a pastoral letter issued on Aug. 22 by Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legazpi called on all devotees, pilgrims and the faithful to turn their attention inward and start incorporating the spirit of the devotion to Ina into their lives.

The theme “Monstra te Esse Filium” (Show Yourself To Be a Child of Ina) should be deemed as a challenge to all devotees to live with devotion to Ina in their everyday lives, said Fr. Louie Occiano, head of Caceres Commission on Communications.

He said after all the fanfare and expenses of the 300th Peñafrancia fiesta, celebrations this year would be less grand and more solemn.

The 300th year theme, Balaog Inako, Balaog Itao (A Gift Received, A Gift to Share) called on all devotees and pilgrims to accept the gift of devotion to Ina and share it to the world.

Occiano explained that this time, the ‘gift’ must be incorporated into the lives of devotees to sustain their faith beyond the feast.

He called on all devotees to sustain the discernment and realization of their devotion to the Virgin for the tradition to live past the 300-year mark.

Unlike last year, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Edward Adams would not be present due to other engagements, said Occiano.

Peñafrancia Fiesta 2010 was marked by the declaration of Camarines Sur and Naga City as Pilgrimage Capitals of the Philippines by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 33 issued by President Aquino.

Before the opening of the celebrations today, the Porta Mariae at the Metropolitan Cathedral was unveiled to commemorate the presence of Ina in the lives of Bicolanos.