"Sta. Clarang Pinungpino…",each year,this glorious hymn could be heard as the devotees stamp their feet,wave their hands and sway their hips towards the Obando Church during the three-day celebration in honor of San Pascual Baylon on the 17th,Santa Clara on the 18th and the Virgen of Salambao on the 19th of May. The authenticity of the Obando Fertility rites is referred to in Dr. Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere where Doña Pia Alba had to dance the pandanggo in Obando in order to bear a child who was Maria Clara. Graced with unrestrained enthusiasm,the old aged tradition of Obando,Bulacan is a restatement of the belief that childless couples can still be blessed with a sibling if they implore the patron saint Santa Clara for help,while other pilgrims invoke the saint's intercession for a wife or husband,and sometimes for good fortune. The celebration is held in Obando,Bulacan,where its friendly people offer accommodations and food for their house guests on one condition,that in return for their stay,the guests have to purchase the candle the Obando folks sell.
How to get there:
All buses bound for the northern parts of Luzon pass through Bulacan.
Last updated: 2007-01-22 13:59:11.52
