Tourism officer John Montances said the October fiesta celebrations will center on the city’s religious festivals – Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels on October 2, Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary or La Naval on October 8, and the Feast of the Apung Mamacalulu (Merciful Lord) on October 27.
But the October celebration was divided into three activities – the religious as the foremost as well as cultural and social activities, he said.
Montances said the Culiat Jaycees are in charge of the Tigtigan, Terakan Keng Dalan (TTKD) which is now celebrating its 25th year.
The Mutya Ning Angeles will also be special since it will also be celebrating its 25th anniversary, he added.
Jeffrey Buan of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) said celebrating the Triduum of the Fiestang Anghel will be a three-day preparation prayer for the feast; the luminaryu or novenaryu will be a nine-day prayer preparation for the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary; and the Kinaryo is a prayer preparation for the Feast of the Apung Mamacalulu.
Buan said the religious activities already started on Sept 11 through the Crusada ning Birhen La Naval ning Angeles.
“We are doing this to commemorate what Don Angel Pantaleon De Miranda and his wife Doña Rosalia did in 1796 when they cleared Bario Culiat,” he said.
“The image of our patroness does the rounds from the parish to the chapels and will be back on Thursday after two weeks of visiting the people and then she will be enthroned,” he explained. “This is an adopted version of the La Naval De Manila because our devotion has originated in Manila,” he added.
“But just like the Lubenas and La Naval even if we only adopted them, we know how to celebrate and how to improve them,” Buan said.
He said in addition to the religious festivities, the PPC will fulfill the challenged announced by the Archbishop Florentino Lavarias last September 8 to celebrate the fiestas with the poor.
“We device a plan on how to help them and include them in the celebration by adopting the system of lamac from the Virgen De Los Remedios (VDLR) which means that those who have plenty should give to the poor or less fortunate whatever they can contribute,” he said.
The collected goods will be repacked for distribution to the poor, he added.
Then on Novena days the same recipients and their families will be invited to come to the parish to have dinner after the Holy Mass with the priests just like visitors in fiestas, he said.
“We expect around 1,000 visitors but more than 250 individuals will come from the poorest of the poor. They will be included in the guest list,” he said.
Two weeks after, we will have the Traslacion or pamanatad and pamandakit which means that on Oct 22, the image of the Apung Mamacalulu from the Shrine will be transferred to the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish and for the five days prayers will be said and on the last day it will be returned back to the Shrine for the whole day feast on Oct 27, he said.
Buan said the PPC is inviting parents and their little children to join the procession on Oct 2 by wearing angel costumes after the 7:30 am Holy Mass.
Buan said there will also be “Kasalan Bayan” also for the poorest of the poor where indigent couples will be wedded on Oct 12. He said the Kasalan Bayan is a partnership with the Events and Concept of Voltaire Zalamea who off ered free services like wedding rings, wedding dress, make up, photography, reception and cakes.
Buan said the couples will also be allowed to invite at least eight guests at the reception which will be held at the Holy Family Academy covered court.
Montances said after the procession of the Holy Guardian Angels on Oct. 2, the marker of the National Museum now placed the Holy Rosary Parish Church will be unveiled which will signify that the church is one of the important cultural properties of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the Mutya Ning Angeles will have 25 candidates to mark its 25th year and all previous winners were also invited during the Coronation Night on Nov. 11 at the AUF Sports and Cultural Center.
For his part, JCI Edwin Pingon, overall chairman of the TTKD, said the 25th year of the annual street dancing set on Oct. 27 and 28 along the main highway in the Balibago district will also have cultural significance with pockets of activities like the Artists’ Village and Food Expo.
The parking lot of Gerry’s Grill will be the venue for the Food Expo while Artists’ Village will have the parking space near China Bank as its venue, he said.
Pingon said the TTKD’s real purpose is to uplift the spirit of the people after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 and this year’s celebration will have a grand parade to commemorate the resiliency of the Kapampangans under the direction and choreography of Peter De Vera.
