OBANDO, Bulacan—Devotion through fertility dance to San Pascual Baylon, Santa Clara and Nuestra Senora de Salambao every May 17, 18 and 19 Obando town feast has not been only and purely a tradition among women and wives but also of men and husbands.
On the first day of the festivity, the Feast Day of San Pascual Baylon on Saturday, 46 year olld Theo Reyes from adjacent Bulakan town gracefully but vigourously took the main thoroughfare of Obando, just outside the National Shrine of Nuestra Senora de la Immaculada Concepcion de Salambao San Pascual Baylon Parish as a stage for his body’s best swaying moves in thanksgiving to the three saints.
It was Reyes 25th year of joining the festivity and leading a group of fellow devotees giving thanks to and asking for forgiveness of sins from the three saints.
“Since I was just a small kid, my parents bring me here to dance and honor the three patron saints, not only for prayer of abundance but more so of gratitude as the devotion is not only purely begging for a child or a spouse. Also, as I grew up, I also dance for forgiveness of my sins,” he told NEWSCORE.
Sixty four year old Eduardo Marquez from Barangay San Pascual this town dances and pray to the three saints since he was 18 years old and inreturn, he was given 7 children including a twin. “Not only children, but of abundance. I am a contractor. Many of my children are now working abroad,” he told NEWSCORE. His twin were also dancing with him in the street.
Thirty seven year old Susana dela Cruz and her husband from Bocaue town joined the fertitlity dance not to ask for a child but already rejoicing and in thanksgiving because they were already blessed with a son out of their devotion. Dela Cruz said, she and her husband started dancing ithe fertility dance since 2020, and in September 2023, four months after the May feast of the three saints, she becane pregnant.
Bringing their 2 year old son with them in a baby carriage during the feast day, their family is a testimony of the miracles of the three saints.
Hundreds of devotees from different places in and outside Bulacan come to the three days feast both to participate in the fertility and the abundance rites and to hear mass for thanksgiving and ask for continuous blessings.
Emma Canosa, 59, a barangay councilor in Paco, San Rafael town was with her friends from Baliwag and Bustos when they heard mass on the Feast of San Pascual Baylon.
Bishop of Cubao Elias Ayuban Jr., who led an 8:00 am concelebrated mass in the parish church on the Saturday Feast of San Pascual Baylon reminds parishioners and devotees of the humbleness, love for others and being compassionate of the saint. He wants everyone to emulate the loving, caring and giving virtues of the saint.
The Feast of Santa Clara who is the patron saint for fertility is celebrated on May 18. Similar dances, mass and other activites are held in her honor.
The Feast of Nuestra Senora de Salambao on May 19 is a day of mostly thanksgiving for the whole year’s abundance particularly the good catch of fishermen in the two island villages of Salambao and Binuangan.
Less high tide in Obando
Re-elected on his second term, Obando Mayor Ding Valeda who is a fisherman, led the other newly elected officials of the town in the fertility dance on Saturday, but not to ask for a child but in thanksgiving for the conitinued shower of blessings for the town and its people.
Valeda said with the completion this year of the upgrading of the Flamengco Road, the high tide problem in Catanghalan, Pagasa and Panghulo will also be addressed. He said high tide in the first eight villages in the town except for the island barangays of Salamabao and Binuangan have been addressed since the past several years becuae of the Obando mega dike anti-flooding project.
Another anti flooding infrastructure, he said, is the ongoing construction of Tawiran Bridge, along J. P. Rizal National Road which connects, Obando to Bulacan Capital City of Malolos via Bulakan town and to Metro Mana via Sangandaam, Calooocan City worth P350 million through the funds of Fourth District Rep. Linabelle Ruth Villarica.
Also, according to the mayor, Obando Stadium is being fully completed now and that a sixth storey new municipal hall is also underway for full completion next year through a P130-million fund from the Office of Senator Joel Villanueva and other sponsors in the national government.
Valeda said that the new municipal hall will have a particular design of San Pascual Baylon, Santa Clara and Nuestra Senora de Salambao in honor of the three patron saints and as a continuous reminder for the people to give reverence to the three oatron saints.
He also thanked his constituents for trusting him again in the leadership of the town.
