Popular Religiosity and Festivals: How Filipinos Celebrate the Feast of St. John the Baptist
Celebrating San Juan Bautista, Philippine Style 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...