November for the denizens of the city of Lapu-lapu is fiesta month. This means more traffic, more lechon, more balloons, more cotton-candies, more candle-vendors, more pilgrims. Everyone will gravitate of course to the National Shrine of the Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Regla. You almost cannot believe how a little, brown Virgin could attract such a multitude. This year tens of thousands of people will once again brave the heat or get soaked in the rain, queue up for hours, and patiently wait for their turn to kiss the Patroness of Opon. The number of candles which will be lighted in her honor will be so multitudinous it will probably raise the temperature of the island. And then there’s the procession – so long that by the time the Virgin returns to the shrine those at the tail end will not have had departed yet.

A devotee praying in front the image of La Virgen de la Regla. Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28994831@N08/2771358532/

MWAH!
First the kiss. For a nonbeliever a kiss on the Virgin’s icon is a meaningless, grubby act. Some will even deem it sacrilegious. Why waste time lining up for aeons simply to kiss a lifeless, wooden statue when I can pray directly to God in the comfort of my airconditioned room? Isn’t worshipping a statue wrong?

But for a believer, a kiss even just on the glass that encases her statue is a deep, fervent expression of love and devotion to the Virgin. The devotees call it panaad (a vow). For favors received through her intercession, they vow to visit her shrine and kiss her when her fiesta comes. It’s a simple yet profound way of thanking and reverencing her. It’s like kissing your mother on her birthday.

From a theological point of view, there is absolutely nothing wrong with kissing the Virgin’s statue. The fact that you kneel before a statue or kiss it does not mean you are worshipping the statue, just as the fact that when you kneel with a bible in your hand to pray does not mean that you are worshipping the bible. Statues and other forms of representations (like paintings, etc.) are but visual aids to recall to the mind the person or saint depicted. Just as it is easier to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it is easier to recall the life of Mary and that of the saints by looking at representations of them.

Kissing her, therefore, is the devotees’ articulation of their intimacy with Our Lady. Consider these words from a pilgrim, “Mohalok jud ko sa Birhen para ipakita niya nga ako mapasalamaton gyud sa iyang paggiya sa akong kinabuhi ug paghatag niya kanako sa akong mga gihangyo kaniya” (I kiss the Virgin to express my gratitude to her for guiding me and granting me what I ask from her). It is an intimacy born out of the assurance that Our Lady will never forsake her children. That she is there to guide, to protect, to lead, to heal, to inspire, to love – a mother in the truest sense. How can we ever express gratitude to somebody who is everything to us? In the context of icons and intimacy, nothing could be more articulate than a kiss.

SHIMMER
Offering candles is a very common practice among the Virgin’s devotees – so common that legions are making a permanent business out of candle vending. There are three popular ways of offering candles: the most common is burning it yourself in the kandilaan (place where you offer candles) while praying before the Virgin’s image; another way is asking a candle-seller to offer them through dance and chants; the third is offering unlighted candles in the hagkanan (place where you kiss the Virgin).

The Virgen de la Regla candle is brown. The color is supposed to harmonize with the skin color of the Virgin. The brown Virgin has touched the hearts of Filipinos from all walks of life. Many devotees have said that she has become the light in their journey through life. And this, I believe, is the reason why they offer her candles. Candle lighting is a very strong form of homage, which approaches the idea of sacrifice and self-offering. One offers a candle as a symbol of one’s life being offered to God. The burning of the candle manifests one’s desire to be a light to others reflecting faith, hope, and love. Just as the candle gives off light by consuming itself, so must a person live out faith, hope, and love by spending his entire life for God.

We are all born to shimmer. I have read somewhere that there are two ways of sharing light – to be the candle or to be the mirror that reflects it. So next time you offer La Virgen your flickering candles, promise her that through you light will disperse the darkness that prevents people from doing God’s will.

JOURNEYING ON THE SAME ROAD
Fiestas are never complete without the prusisyon (procession). At bisperas (the evening before the fiesta), after the 4:00 p.m. novena mass the procession of the original statue of the Virgin commences. The caro that is used to carry the statue will be adorned with an array of lights and fragrant flowers. Thousands of candle-bearing devotees will join in the procession. An old brass band of the city will keep the mood upbeat yet prayerful. It’s so amazing how such a motley, disorganized crowd can be one in prayer. Those in houses, stores, and sidewalks will also light candles, torches, and coconut husks. Some will wave their hands to her or kneel down in prayer as the beloved Señora passes by. Of all streets, it is in Ceres where the Virgin is greeted with the most number and the loudest of firecrackers. When the procession returns to the shrine, a priest will say a prayer, incenses the caro and sprinkles it with holy water. After the blessing people will do everything they can to grab flowers from the caro. Some will take them as souvenirs, while most will bring them home because they believe that the flowers of the Señora have miraculous powers.

Processions have become part of the natural language of our faith expression. If we reflect on it deeply we see that processions are an expression of our being pilgrims here on earth. We are all on a journey to our true home. The true home of the Christian is in heaven. The procession articulates this succinctly – we walk together on the same road toward one end. It is done out of a desire to experience the closeness of our beloved Mother and the intimacy of God – the attraction to have this experience is so great the we leave our homes for a while and are willing to accept hardships and travel inconveniences in order to get in touch with God in this experience.

Our yearly procession is also a visible manifestation of our commitment to walk in the way of the Virgen de la Regla. By joining it we make known to everybody for whom we are living and to whom we are committed – Christ, who was also the love of Mary’s life. The Virgin chose to live a life that expresses her faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, her son. As Mary’s followers we too must lead a similar life. The procession therefore is a public profession of our faith and commitment to God.