The Feast of San Juan Bautista, Philippine Style
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| St. John the Precursor |
San Juan Bautista is a well-known Biblical figure and is one of the most popular saints venerated in the Philippines. Many parishes across the country are placed under his patronage. Among the most famous ones are the Quiapo Church which is officially the Parish of St. John the Baptist and also the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, and the parish churches of the following localities: Taytay in Rizal, Liliw in Laguna, San Juan City, Balayan in Batangas, Aliaga in Nueva Ecija, Cavite City and Calumpit in Bulacan and many others.
The Catholic community usually commemorates the feast of St. John the Baptist with the traditional dousing of water, reminiscent of the baptism of Jesus Christ by John in the River Jordan.
Throughout history, the commemoration of the great Saint’s feast has given rise to many festivals in various places across the country. This blog post intends to present some of the most popular of these festivals and observances that have arisen and evolved through the years in celebration of the Baptizer’s feast.
He who Baptized Jesus
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| St. John Baptizing Jesus |
John the Baptist was a contemporary of Jesus who was known for evangelization and his baptizing of Jesus Christ.
Because of God’s graciousness, He allowed John to be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, who was already too old, and far beyond child-bearing age. The scripture narrates that the Angel Gabriel visited Elizabeth and Zechariah and informed them they would have a son whom they shall name John. Zechariah was skeptical and for this, he was rendered mute until the time his son was born and named John in fulfillment of God’s will.
John began public ministry around 30 AD and was known for attracting large crowds across Judea and around the Jordan River. Following his baptism of Christ, his popularity grew so much that he alarmed King Herod and he ordered for John’s Arrest.
John spoke with Herod on several occasions and condemned his marriage to his half-brother’s wife. This condemnation would cost him his life as King Herod promised to grant a wish to Herodias’ daughter. Upon the evil counsel of her mother, she asked King Herod for John’s head. Although reluctant, the King obliged. John the Baptist died sometime between 33 and 36 AD.
John the Baptist is always remembered as that voice crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” He preached a message of repentance, by calling the nation to turn away from sin and in keeping with this message, baptizing the people as a sign of their repentance.
Because of the important role he has played in the life of Jesus and in carrying out the work of redemption, the Church has given him that distinction to be one of the only three persons whose birthdays are being celebrated in the Church’s calendar. The first one of course is Our Lord Jesus Christ, the other is the Blessed Mother and the last one, He. He is also referred to as the precursor, the baptizer and a cousin of Jesus.
The Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is celebrated on June 24 while the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist is observed on August 29.
Taong Putik Festival of Bibiklat Nueva Ecija
The annual
Taong Putik Festival is held every June 24 in the Barrio of Bibiclat in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija. On this day, the people of Bibiclat and other devotees pay homage to their patron saint, St. John the Baptist by wearing costumes patterned after his attire. The
taong putiks or
Mga Nagsa-San Juan soak themselves in mud and cover their bodies with dried banana leaves and go around houses in the village to ask for alms of candles or money they would use to buy candles.
After the ritual, participants gather at the church yard to hear Mass. They light the candles and offer prayers before washing themselves to join their families for the fiesta celebration later that day.
Origin of the Taong Putik Festival
Local devotion to St. John the Baptist peaked during the second world war when according to the accounts of older residents, Japanese soldiers were about to execute all the men of Bibiclat in retaliation for the death of their compatriots.
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| Taong Putik Festival |
Villagers ran to the church to storm heaven for the lives of their relatives. As the Filipinos were led to the firing squad, it rained so hard and the Japanese officers interpreted it as a sign of disapproval from heaven.
Since then, villagers have celebrated the feast of St. John by covering their bodies with mud and wearing banana leaves and vines early morning of June 24, the patron saint’s feast day.
By transforming themselves into mud people, participants said they are able to emulate St. John the Baptist, who appears in most Biblical tales dressed like a beggar.
House owners give them money or candles, believing that this gesture would be compensated with blessings.
San Juan City’s Wattah wattah Festival
Done in the traditional “basaan” or dousing of water among children and grown-ups on the streets as a form of sharing and imparting blessing, the festival is a celebration of thanksgiving. Parade, street dance competition and other activities liven up the annual Wattah wattah Festival. Around 50 fire trucks are utilized to splash people and devotees with water during the festival.
Wattah stands for “water” and is a festival offered to St. John who baptized people in the waters of River Jordan to cleanse them from their sins and to prepare them for the coming of Jesus Christ. Everyone gets douched with water and literally gets drenched.
People from different walks of life participate in the “basaan” and the festivities. Everyone brings a bucket, a dipper, water gun or hose which is purposefully pointed at every passerby. It is not just to make fun but also a representation and a reminder of their baptism. The water also symbolizes the many blessings and favors that everyone prays to receive for themselves and their families.
Thank you for the Water
During the Spanish period, the city of San Juan, which was then known as San Juan del Monte, became famous for its clean water. It has clean waterways unlike the low-lying Manila that sourced much of its water from the Pasig River or from wells whose water quality was very poor leaving the Manilenos susceptible to water-borne diseases. Water sellers had to travel further and further upstream in San Juan to fetch decent water. Because of its clean water, San Juan, which was then a barrio of Manila, also became known as the city’s laundry.
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| Wattah Wattah Festival |
It was the Dominican friars who discovered a fresh water spring within their Santuario property and the entire barrio benefited from it. The Dominican Fray Miguel Peguero developed an aqueduct system that would deliver water from the spring to the San Juan River where water carriers from Manila could collect it and transport it to the city.
The aqueduct which was an engineering marvel at that time, supplied water to San Juan, Manila and other neighboring districts from its construction in 1690 to the mid-19th century.
It was the Spanish noble man, Don Francisco de Carriedo who initiated the construction of a more efficient water delivery system for the needs of the growing city. Various proposals were considered for years but none was approved. Only after two cholera epidemics and after much revising of proposals was a plan approved.
In the scheme, water would be obtained from a dam in Santolan and will be pumped to a reservoir at the top of the San Juan Plateau, and delivered via pipeline to the city. The Carriedo water system was inaugurated in 1882.
The San Juan reservoir, dubbed El Deposito added to San Juan’s reputation as the capital's source of potable water and became a tourist attraction. The system operated until 1929, when a more extensive and modern water system was established.
For years, locals continue to actively participate in the Wattah Wattah Festival to celebrate life, blessing and renewal of faith.
Parada ng Lechon of Balayan, Batangas (Roasted Pig Parade)
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| Participants in the parade dress up their lechons |
The
Parada ng Lechon occurs every June 24 in Balayan, Batangas which celebrates the town’s patron, St. John the Baptist. The townsfolk drench the parade in water to signify the baptism of Jesus by John.
Lechons that are paraded in the streets of Balayan are dressed and decorated according to a particular theme that the owner(s) have chosen. After the parade, the
lechons are consumed by the people.
Origin of the Parade and Festival
The world-renown “Parada ng Lechon” originated in the old thanksgiving custom of the working class in what used to be a poor and depressed area of the Kanluran district of Balayan, Batangas.
Families during the Spanish and American periods, would parade a lechon in the town plaza during the town’s fiesta in thanksgiving to the Santo Patron – San Juan Baustista for the significant blessings they have received through his intercession in the previous year. To the poor people of Balayan, the parading of lechon in the plaza, where the Roman Catholic Church is at the center, is the most fitting expression of gratitude and veneration to their patron saint. The said parada ng lechon is coupled with the usual water dousing that is practiced in places where St. John the Baptist is the patron saint.
More and more families were motivated to participate in the festival in the passing years. In 1959, the elders of Kanluran District organized the Hermanidad San Juan Bautista to oversee the celebration of what was to be known as Parada ng Lechon sa Balayan, Batangas. Other activities were soon integrated to the annual parade which include concerts, beauty pageants, beer drinking and many more for a more festive atmosphere during the fiesta celebration.
Libad Festival of Calumpit, Bulacan
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| Fluvial Procession in Honor of St. John the Baptist |
Thousands of devotees, spectators and merrymakers from Calumpit and other towns march to Calumpit, Bulacan every June 24 in celebration of the “Libad Festivad” honoring the town’s patron, St. John the Baptist. The highlight of the celebrations is the traditional
“pagoda” fluvial procession along the river on the 23rd, the day before the actual town fiesta.
Libad is a local Tagalog-Pampango term denoting a fluvial procession common among towns occupying riverbanks held usually during the feast day of the town’s patron saint.
The sacred image of St. John the Baptist is borne in a colorfully decorated “pagoda” locally called “kasko” escorted by several native boats representing every village of Calumpit as it roves along the cool waters of the Calumpit River while townsfolk watch along the riverbank and on the historical bridge dousing dousing water to people as part of the fluvial procession. The procession which is participated in by a fleet of not less than 30 boats also passes through the Angat, Bagbag and Pampanga Rivers.
Every village of the town participates in the lively singing, dancing and dousing of water on passersby to commemorate St. John’s mission to baptize the people of Israel and for the participants to be reminded of their own baptism.
It is not certain when the Augustinian missionaries first set foot in Calumpit but records say that the parish church of San Juan Bautista in the town which was initially made of nipa and bamboo was established on May 3, 1574 when Fray Martin de Rada was prior provincial. Calumpit was simultaneously established with the conventos of Bay, Laguna, Tondo and Lubao, Pampanga with De Rada as its prior and Fray Diego Vivar as his vicar. The church built in stone was inaugurated in 1700.
The church has withstood not just time, but the Filipinos’ struggle to keep the Church through wars with the Spaniards, the American, and Japanese and even pirate attacks from the Moros and the Chines.
Seeing Beyond the Festivities
The various festivals and observances are truly expressions of the Filipino's deep faith on God in thanksgiving for all the blessings bestowed on them through the intercession of the Santo Patron. They are a showcase of what Filipino piety, hospitality and ingenuity are all about. They are also proofs of the Filipinos' resilient and happy spirit, capable of finding joy amidst life's hardships and trials.
The challenge is for us to not just focus on the glamour and the glitter and the merry-making aspect of these celebrations but to look at them as real, authentic expression of our deep spirituality and faith as a people. We celebrate because we are grateful for all the blessings that God has generously bestowed on us. We continue to be hopeful because our patron is praying for and is interceding for us before God. There is always a reason to be thankful for.
With the current pandemic situation, the Filipino has to wait for quite some time in order to again witness and appreciate the richness of these festivals.
References:
Balayan, Batangas Parada ng Lechon Festival retrieved from http://www.batangas-philippines.com/parada-ng-lechon.html on June 24, 2020.
Nueva Ecija Village Celebrates Taong Putik Festival retrieved from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1073171 on June 24, 2020.
Parada ng Lechon retrieved from http://balayan.gov.ph/parada-ng-lechon/ on June 23, 2020.
St. John the Baptist retrieved from https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=152 on June 25, 2020.
Taong Putik Festival in Barrio Bibiclat, Aliaga, Nueva Ecija retrieved from https://www.pinoyadventurista.com/2016/05/taong-putik-festival-bibiclat-aliaga-nueva-ecija.html on June 25, 2020.
Wattah Wattah: A Celebration of water blessing retrieved from https://pia.gov.ph/features/articles/1023354 on June 21, 2020.
Photos: CCTO
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