About fiesta
The town fiesta of Santa Maria in honor of its Patroness, the Purisima Concepcion is a month-long celebration in February which clearly shows the Marian devotion of the town. The movable feast is held on the Thursday after February 2 which tradition refers to as La Candelaria. It is preceded by the traditional novena of Masses before the feast and High Masses and processions on the Sundays of the month.
For the visperas, over a dozen brass bands enters the town towards the Poblacion from Bagbaguin in the morning. A la torre or homage of the bands to the Virgin at twelve noon and a parade of all the bands on the streets of the Poblacion in the afternoon. In the evening, the church patio is filled with people for the Serenata. On the day of the Fiesta itself, the Misa Pontifical or concelebrated Mass is the highlight of the Masses which begins at dawn and is followed by the procession of the Purisima in the morning and in the evening. The High Masses and Processions are repeated during the succeeding Sundays.
Throughout the month several other events are held such as musical variety shows led by popular personalities, outdoor sports exhibitions of nationally acclaimed players, concerts by well known bands and cultural shows.
Most notable during the month of February is the availability of the famous "Tuge", a ready to eat root crop sold by vendors that signify the ambiance of the festivity together with the cool breeze which last right after the celebration of the town fiesta.
The joyous celebration of February takes on a somber mood as the liturgical calendar moves on to Cuaresma or Lent. In Santa Maria, the solemn commemoration begins not on Palm Sunday but a week before that. The Church of La Purisima Concepcion holds the annual Solemne Septenario or seven-day devotion in honor of La Virgen Esperanza. It ends on Viernes de Dolores or the Friday before Palm Sunday. The highlight of the feast is the Misa Pontifical followed by the besamanos or kissing of the Virgin's hand in the morning and the Procession of the Virgen Macarena under palio in the evening which is known as Via Matris. During this procession, the Virgin makes seven stops to specific houses and high up on a balcony, a tenor and a soprano sing the dialogue of Christ and the Virgin. They are assisted by a choir and a brass band.
Apparently, the devotion was brought by the Franciscans who evangelized the town where the principal celebrations before the War was celebrated at the Lourdes Church which was then in Intramuros. Lost during the War, it was revived by the Hermandad y Cofradia de la Sagrada Pasion y de Maria Santisima de la Esperanza, a confraternity organized in 1999 to spearhead the revival and promotion of the Lenten traditions of Santa Maria from the Jubilee Year 2000 onwards. Incidentally, the Hermandad de la Sagrada Pasion has been an affiliate of the Hermandad de la Macarena in Seville, Spain since 2008 making it the twenty first confraternity to be recognized, the second outside of Spain and the first in Asia.
The procession of Holy Wednesday and Good Friday features close to forty pasos de misterios or carrozas and draws a huge crowd as spectators and participants as heirlooms images and newly commissioned ones are brought out. What sets it apart from other Semana Santa processions in the province is not so much the number of carrozas, but the solemnity and decorum on how it is done. The Hermandad de la Sagrada Pasion is the first in the province to have initiated the narration of the passion in dramatized form as the pasos are brought out to the streets. This is a rite that was eventually copied by the rest of the towns in Bulacan.
My Experiences
I visited Sta. Maria Bulacan last February 9, 2017 which is the day of town fiesta. I was supposed to be visit on February 8 due to my some busy schedules. So the visperas was a music band parade so I supposed to shoot the parade to share the colorful fiesta but since I visited on the day which is February 9. I do photowalk to promote their interested places and bonding with my High School Friends.
Story Behind the images.
Let's talk about my best shot during the town fiesta.
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| Sta. Maria Church with Bandaritas F-Stop: f/8 ISO 220 Shutter Speed: 1/250s Enhanced in Lightrooms Lens: Kitlens Body: D7200 |
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| Sta. Maria Church with Bandaritas (Portrait) F-Stop: f/8 ISO 450 Shutter Speed: 1/250s Enhanced in Lightrooms Lens: Kitlens Body: D7200 |
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| Sta. Maria Church with Bandaritas (Landscape) F-Stop: f/8 ISO 220 Shutter Speed: 1/250s Enhanced in Lightrooms Lens: Kitlens Body: D7200 |
This landmark called La Purísima Concepción Parish Church located at the town proper of Sta. Maria which is called Patio. Every town fiesta, they decorated by the bandaritas and it has a night event within the fiesta period. These 3 photos are the different angles of a landmark.
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Ricardo Nicolas Jr. Park
F-Stop: f/4.5
ISO 250
Shutter Speed: 1/800s
Enhanced in Lightrooms
Lens: Kitlens
Body: D7200
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Please visit the beautiful town of Sta. Maria, Thank you for those who read my post. Please like NoGiCo Photography and Travel Page. Happy Valentine's Day everyone, and God Bless!!!
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