Penafrancia Festival 2011

The Peñafrancia festival is set for September 9 to 18 of this year.

 The Our Lady of Peñafrancia Basilica is located in Naga City.

 The feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is celebrated on the third Saturday of September in Naga City, Bicol.

 The feast day is preceded by a novena, nine days of prayer, in honor of the Virgin. 

On the first day, the image of the Virgin, a copy of the Madonna in Peñafrancia, Spain, is brought from its shrine to the Naga Cathedral where the novena is held. 

On the last day, the image is returned to her shrine following the Naga River route. 

The colorful evening procession is lit by thousands of candles from devotees in boats escorting the image. 

When the barge reaches its destination, the devotees shout "Viva la Virgen" (Long live the Virgin!) and the image is brought back in a procession to the cathedral.


Photo credits to my cuzin Rafael Matubis Jr.

Happy Eid’l Fitr

The nation is marking today (Tuesday) the end of a long weekend with the celebration of Eid’l Fitr, a Muslim holiday. Eid’l Fitr (the Festival of Fast-breaking) is a three-day celebration of the Muslim world commemorating the end of Ramadan, a period of dawn-to-dusk fasting. Eid is a time for giving gifts, especially to children; giving charity to the poor; and celebrating with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy.