Bocaue River Festival

The Bocaue River Festival, also known as the Bocaue Pagoda Festival, is an annual religious celebration in Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines. It is best-known for its river procession dedicated to the Catholic relic, the Holy Cross of Wawa (Tagalog: Krus sa Wawa).

Bocaue River Festival
Kapistahan ng Pagoda sa Bocaue
The pagoda for the 2015 festivities.
StatusActive
Frequency1st Sunday of July
VenueBocaue River
Location(s)Bocaue, Bulacan
CountryPhilippines
Established1850
ParticipantsResidents of Bocaue, Devotees of the Holy Cross of Wawa
ActivityPagoda river procession, holy mass, novena, entertainment events

History

The Bocaue River Festival's devotion is connected to the Holy Cross of Wawa. Made of wood, it was found rushing through the Wawa section of the Bocaue River during a typhoon in 1850. Local legend says a drowning woman clung to the Cross and was saved, an event later deemed a miracle. The Cross was retrieved and enshrined in a riverside church; the timber of the object is believed to have come from an old, burnt-down church. A fluvial parade has been held since then as tribute to the relic.[1][2][3]

In 1993, the large, ceremonial barge called the pagoda that carries the Cross sank due to overloading. The accident came to be known as the Bocaue Pagoda tragedy. The procession was scaled down until 2014 when a "grand pagoda" featured again in the festival.[2][4][5] Celebrations were limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Cross borne by a government yacht instead.[3]

Observances

The Bocaue River Festival is observed every first Sunday of July, in honor of the Holy Cross of Wawa.[5] The Cross, enshrined at Saint Martin of Tours Parish Church, is considered miraculous by devotees.[6]

The highlight is the fluvial procession with the pagoda as its centrepiece.[7] The Cross itself, or a replica, is placed on top of the pagoda for this procession.[5] A custom is the ligiran (from the word "surround"), where smaller boats encircle the pagoda.[8] The Lutina or nine-day novena is also held, while the municipal government also hold other entertainment events as part of the festivities.[7]

Since 2014, a Mass is also said on the floating pagoda to pray for victims of the 1993 tragedy, the barge moored over the exact place in the river where the overloaded pagoda sank.[1]

2022 Celebration

References
  1. Lucenio, Marielle (July 10, 2019). "Tragedy fails to shake Filipino faith, religious tradition - UCA News". UCA News. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  2. Reyes-Estrope, Carmela (June 27, 2014). "Town revives pagoda 21 years after tragedy". Inquirer Central Luzon. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  3. "Bulacan folk scale down pagoda in river festival". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  4. "21 years after tragedy, Bocaue's floating pagoda sets sail again". GMA News. July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  5. Deona, Marga (July 5, 2015). "Bocaue remembers 1993 pagoda tragedy". Rappler. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  6. Romulo, Mons (March 20, 2018). "Top 10 must-see places & events in Bocaue, Bulacan". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  7. Silverio, Frederick (July 7, 2019). "Bocaue celebrates Pagoda festival". The Manila Times. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  8. "Lutina' or 9-day novena for Bocaue's Pagoda Festival begins". Radyo Natin. July 4, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
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