From our vantage point at the top of the belltower, we could see all around town, including the inmates in the municipal jail playing basketball.
When the procession arrived in front of the church, it started to rain. The parishioners seemed ready to get wet. I was told that the same thing happened last year.
But by the time the image of Our Lady passed by, the sun was shining again. The procession continued on to the next barangay until the border of the town before coming back. I just waited in the parish church.
Darkness was falling when the procession returned, with more dancing and frenzied catching of the flowers on the carroza. The Virgin was taken into the church for devotees to touch and kiss.
Watching the whole spectacle, I thought about the pagan rituals our folk Catholicism continues to embrace. And maybe it's not just us here in the former colonies. But these spice up our lives, no?
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