Paper Short Abstract:

This paper talks about the idea of fiesta, a ubiquitous Christian religio-cultural event in the Philippines, as a way of remembering and reliving history, as well as renewing traditional ties and networks. In the coastal town in the province of Albay, Philippines, the overarching template naturally follows the written sacred story of the patron saint, but the resultant social ritual creates new 'texts' which makes the official narrative as sub-plots to the more organic and collective story telling.

Paper Abstract:

This paper talks about the idea of fiesta, a ubiquitous Christian religio-cultural event in the Philippines, as a way of remembering, retelling, and performing history. In the coastal town in the province of Albay, Philippines, the overarching template naturally follows the written sacred story of the patron saint, but the resultant social ritual creates new 'texts' which makes the official narrative as sub-plot to the more organic and collective story telling, revealing and renewing traditional ties and networks.

The ethnographic site is Tiwi, Albay in the Bicol region of the Philippines which is famous for the string of feasts held in honor of the Nuestra Señora de Salvacion -- the revered image believed to be miraculous and protector of the Bicolano people since the beginning of its devotion in the 17th century. A curious story of discovery of Salvacion's sacred power and loving care makes her image the beloved "Ina", or mother, of the people. A closer look into the fiesta, though, reveals intersecting social rituals indigenizing popular Marian theology. The 'fiesta', is a way of knowing and remembering the past and present -- of unwriting narratives and creating new ones -- cast in rituals, both sacred and secular.