Sayaw Sa Obando

Today, we went to Bulacan to attend the once a year event,  Obando Fertility Rites or “Sayaw Sa Obando”

We have been wanting to have a third child ( preferably a girl 🙂 ), so we decided to tag a long with our friends who wanted to go as well.  Thanks to our husbands who were very patient and cooperative.  

Though I have very strong faith and I do believe that God has a plan for all of us so whatever His will is, that is what will be done.  

I am rushing this feature because for those who want to still go, you have two more days.  It is around an hour only from Makati when you leave early in the morning.  We left at 6 am.  There are masses at certain hours but the Sayaw Sa Obando is only once during the day which starts after the 7am mass so at 8am the procession starts.  It runs for about two hours going back to the church where everyone ends inside the church dancing and shouting praises

 

We tried to research what we could on the internet but not much information is out there, we relied on first hand experiences of friends of friends

Suggestions:

1.)  Bring a driver with you so you don’t have to worry about parking and just concentrate on getting to the church on time

2.)  Bring the following:

Hat or cap, Umbrella if you want additional shade, cold water

3.)  How To Get There – It is not as easy as it looks- so always just ask people on the road to be sure. We spent quite some time to actually get to the church

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May 17, 18, and 19

Celebrating the patron saint of the childless Santa Clara, the main feature of the festival, Sayaw sa Obando, is a dance by childless women, believing that in their participation, they will be blessed and their wish for motherhood fulfilled. 

In the same festival, two other saints are honored: San Pascual de Baylon, a shepherd who became a model of good virtues

 

and the Lady of Salambao, deriving her name from an image of the Immaculate Conception found by the river by a fisherman using a salambao net.

 We went with Gil and Christine and we met Martin and Cecile, friends of Gil and Christine

 

 Arriving at the church

Vendors outside the church selling hats, fans, religious articles

Trying to get into the church which was jampacked!

Beautiful church

Outside the church, people are offering eggs and flowers and their petitions

They were selling candles of a boy and a girl – the vendor said it is for praying for your mate – so for P 10.00 each, we bought and lighted them and prayed for each other 🙂  I normally also want to help the vendors so I try to buy a little from everyone selling

The Black Nazarene was a popular item being sold, so I got a few for friends and family, they did not have any of the saints from the festival which we really wanted to get

The Black Nazarene image – with people praying and holding or wiping  the image

Click to watch video:

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 Little altar boys leading the procession

 Sta. Clara who we followed

Click to watch video to watch the procession dancing and swaying to the music.  The guy announcing was telling everyone not to walk but to dance 🙂

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Some come in groups and they all wear the same outfits

Couples walking hand in hand

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Vendors selling many different things on the procession route 

 

Happy to see many of these around – people being more conscious about the environment 

 I am including here also the entry of Christine who also documents her experiences very well and I enjoy reading them and it is always fun being with her:

 

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