246. Rare Folk Santo Tableau: THE MOCKING OF JESUS

BURLANDOSE DE JESUS. A folk santo grouping in a primitive
urna, depicting the mocking of Jesus by Roman soldiers.
Pamintuan Mansion, Angeles City, Pampanga.

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned He stood;

Sealed my pardon with His blood.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Religious tableaus depicting anything from Biblical scenes (the Nativity, the Crucifixion)  to various saintly groupings (e.g. Our Lady of Carmel, St. James Fighting the Moors, Salvacion) are familiar sights to antique dealers and santo collectors. Folk representations of the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) commonly abound, often encased in a colorful folk altar. The same goes true for Calvario tableaus  that show Jesus on the cross, surrounded by Mary, Magdalene and St. John.

However, in the restored ancestral Pamintuan residence of Angeles City can be found a very rare and seldom seen folk tableau, representing the Mocking of Jesus Christ. This event, which Jesus had predicted, happened several times--after his trial and before his crucifixion according to the gospels of the New Testament.

The mocking of Christ took place thrice: immediately following his trial by the Sanhedrin, after his condemnation by Pilate, and when he was on the cross. The first instance was done by chief priests, temple guards and other elders.

The second instance occurred after his appearance before Pilate, where, upon his condemnation, was  was flogged and mocked by Roman soldiers. They clothed him with a purple or scarlet robe. crowned with thorns and made to hold a staff as his scepter. This wooden tableau seems to depict Jesus' second mocking by the Pilate's Roman centurions who knelt before him and said , "Hail, King of the Jews".

Curiously, the seated blank-faced Jesus figure is clean-shaven. Could this figure represent Pilate? Or was it just a way to differentiate Jesus from his bearded and moustachioed antagonists? A wire on top of his head that once held a halo--indicates with certainty that this is indeed, Jesus. One bemoustached official is either in the act of handing him his reed scepter or about to beat him up with a staff.

Still another is seen pointing his finger up. Two or three centurions stand at attention around Jesus, dressed in their pointed hats, breeches and boots. All the figures--no more than 7 inches high-- are carved from softwood in the naif style, with their separately-carved limbs wired to their bodies. Their faces are painted and they are dressed in fabric trimmed with lace and gold thread.

The ensemble is housed in a spectacularly carved, glass fronted  urna with 4 Solomonic columns, cutwork side flanges, and a roof with simulated rococo carvings. It stands on carved feet that are typical of Ilocos folk altars.

Christians see Jesus' suffering is redemptive, hence, they see the mockery that Jesus went through as being borne and endured on their behalf. Capturing this moment in a carved devotional piece must have been a challenge to the anonymous santero who wrought this exuberantly-crafted masterpiece. Which explains why it remains the first and only Mocking of Christ tableau I have seen thus far,

The rare Mocking of Jesus folk tableau can be viewed at the Pamintuan Mansion on Sto. Entierro St., located at the heritage district of Angeles City. The ancestral residence has been converted into a Museum of Social History. Opens daily 8:00 am-5 pm, except Mondays. Entrance is free.

245. AN ENTOURAGE OF AGOO'S SORROWFUL SANTAS

Agoo, before the founding of La Union province, was once a part of Pangasinan. It is one of the oldest municipalities in the Philippines, and in ancient time, its excellent harbor was frequently visited by Japanese and Chinese traders. Christianization was undertaken by both Franciscan and Augustinian missionaries, until secular priests took over in 1898.

Agoo has been made famous for the alleged Marian apparitions of Virgin Mary to Judiel Nieva, who reported seeing a statue of Our Lady of Agoo atop a Guava tree, weeping with blood. Pilgrims flocked to Agoo to see the "seer", but the highly sensationalized apparitions were declared a hoax in 1993.

But nothing can take way the display of deep Ilocano devoutness and traditional pomp during the season of Lent.. The Good Friday procession is the highlight of the Semana Santa, a devotion manifesting the fervor and faith of the hardy Agoo folks.

There are about 30 carozas beautifully adorned, all lined up at the Plaza dela Virgen, a remarkable tradition dating from the Spanish times and the Penitential Procession of Women in honor of the Mother of Christ, all dressed in black.

The funeral entourage also consists of mourning virgins--saintly women depicting the female characters associated with the ministry and  Passion of Jesus, a selection of which are featured on this page.

All photos were taken in 1994 by Dr. Raymund Feliciano, exclusively for this blog.

Source: http://www.visitmyphilippines.com/index.php title=AGOOSEMANASANTA%3Cbr%3EAgoo,LaUnion&func=all&pid=5663

244. Krus ni Kristo #1: APO SEÑOR OF GUAGUA

APO SENOR OF GUAGUA. An age-old crucifix  that
has been revered in Wawa town ever since one can remember.

The origin of this 7 ft. black Nazarene nailed to a cross is shrouded in mystery; for as long as oldtimers remember, it has always been revered in the town, installed in a barrio chapel of Sto. Cristo since the Spanish time. The chapel was burned down duing the Peacetime era, and so “Apo Señor”, as he came to be known by the townsfolk, was transferred to the main Parish Church.

Every 23rd of April, the "Dakit ning Apung Señor" ritual happens, in which the Crucifix is fetched from the church complete with a marching band, for enshrinement in the chapel, where it is processioned in time for the May fiesta.

243. STA. MARIA MAGDALENA OF KAWIT : Patroness of the Revolution

SANTA MARIA MAGDALENA, patroness of the Philippine Revolution.

 The town of Kawit in Cavite is one of the country’s cradles of history, a town linked inseparably with Aguinaldo and the Philippine Revolution. Kawit is also home to a revered image of the repentant sinner-saint, Sta. Maria Magdalena, under whose patronage the town has been placed over 300 years ago, during the term of Manila Archbishop Miguel Garcia Serrano (1618-1629). The revered image of Sta. Maria is enshrined in her own altar at the age-old baroque Kawit Church, known as the Church of St. Mary Magdalene.

Over the years, devotion to the saint has become so widespread throughout the region and its most well-known devotee is no less than General Emilio Famy Aguinaldo, first president of the Philippine Republic. The Kawit-born revolutionary leader would ask for her protection every time he would venture out, and his safe delivery would always be attributed to the workings of the santa. Aguinaldo would even name his factionist movement after his patroness— "Magdalo". It is nowonder that Sta.Maria Magdalena has also earned the unofficial title as the “Patron Saint of the Philippine Revolution.”

 The antique life-size image of Sta, Maria is of wood, carved in the round, including her hair and vestment drapings, painted pink, orange and gold. However, like many de bulto images, she is outfitted with real clothes—usually, a gold-embroidered red gown, matched with a golden yellow cape. Be-wigged and shod in silver shoes, the saint holds her iconographic attributes—a perfume jar on her right hand and a crucifix on the other.

 There is a characteristic mark on her forehead, which others refer to as a mole (“nunal”) but it has been speculated that it is the symbolic mark left by Jesus's fingertip when He gently admonished her to “ touch me not” during their encounter three days after His death.

 Devotion to Sta. Maria Magdalena is year-round, but it reaches its peak during her July 21 feast days. On the eve of the fiesta, at 7 in the morning, the caracol tradition of bringing the image out in her flower-trimmed anda to make the rounds of the town begins. The anda bearers and the thousands of pilgrim-followers dance their way from Binakayan to Alapan, while prayers are said and favors are requested. Fandango is the traditional dance step used to convey the image from town to town.

 The santa is also brought on a riverine procession on a “casco” to bless the waters of Cavite and make them more bountiful.

 On the fiesta day itself—July 22—a grand procession is held on the main streets of Kawit. The 7:00 pm. procession is led by light-bearing youngsters followed by the lavishly-decorated carozza of Sta. Maria Magdalena, and a retinue of townsfolk. Groups of devotees called “Maginoos” and “Ginangs” dressed in their finery are at the tail-end. The parade ends at 10 p.m. and is capped with a feast-for-all sponsored by the Hermanos and Hermanas of the fiesta.

The fiesta revelry continues at the church patio where carnival rides, games and sideshows provide added enjoyment to the people of Kawit whose devotion to theis Sta. Maria Magdalena knows no bound, through periods of strife, struggle and present-day prosperity.

ALL PHOTOS from DR. RAYMUND FELICIANO COLLECTION

242. IN THE COMPANY OF SPIRITS

FLOY QUINTOS AMONG FRIENDS AT GALLERY DEUS.
Photo by Romy Homillada.

By Alya B. Honasan
yOriginally published in the Artwatch section of OPINION Weekend (OW) Magazine. 

 How did a playwright, writer and director turned his passion into a fulfilling profession? 

 With the blessings of his ‘children.’ 

 Does Floy Quintos tell if a particular bulol or santo, a prime piece of tribal or colonial art, is a good one? “Very Buddhist,” he says in all sincerity.”It’s in the eyes. They should be looking at you, but at the same time,seem like they’re looking beyond you or something deep inside you.”

The award-winning playwright , writer and director is a firm believer in the life force that lives within such cultural antiquities, a force that influences the decisions of this brand new entrepreneur. “It’s this little spirit, a spark of life. It’s the spirituality of the carver and a reflection of how ingrained such spirituality in their lifestyle. You can own a fake, but it doesn’t look at you in the right way.”

 Such a primal sensitivity and a collector’s instinct has helped Quintos amass a formidable trove of tribal and colonial sculpture, textiles and adornments—“small and big things, all authentic”—which he began putting together at the age of 12 when he purchased his first P5.00 santo from a shop in Mabini. “I don’t know why I like them." It was probably just a response to something in his soul.

Those were the years when there was still really great stuff in Manila, when walking into an antique shop was an adventure.” Quintos remembers “making connections with mountain people’ on treks to Sagada, Baguio and Banawe—“something I can’t quite do anymore at 41.” He laughs. “Me? Walk in the fields with a camote stick?”

 Today, the same folks still look him up in Manila when there’s merchandise for sale, and after having learned his slessos buying the ocassional “mega-dud” and reading up on the subject, Quintos has become a discriminating collector who knows what he wants. Friends have long bugged him to open his own shop. Then, serendipitously, Willie Versoza, owner of the pioneering antique shop Likha and a friend of Quintos, announced he was closing shop after the death of his partner, Jean Louis Levi.

Quintos had been doing some thinking. “I realized I had also amassed so much, and I was wondering, am I hoping to be collecting forever?” The rent was good, the building was owned by a friend, and Quintos, while working constantly in the commercial circuit , was looking for something to revive his weary soul. “I figured this was the career break I’ve been looking for.”

 Thus, one month ago, the orange façade and the olive green interiors of Gallery Deus welcomed the public. It was named after the Latin word for “God” which Quintos has always liked for the reference to “the spirit in all of us”.

 He was between projects, fresh from directing Ai-Ai del las Alas’ West Coast concerts and on the way to Phuket to direct a TV show, with just one Sunday to spare.He fixed the shop and made the leap from collector to dealer in one day—a move that was a lot tougher than it seems. “I learned to be not so acquisitive.” Quintos laughs.”I painted the shops, put in the shelves, but I kept procrastinating about the actual move and choosing which ones of my children to put on sale. I’ve kept exactly 6 bulols and 5 santos.”

 Quintos is at his shop from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. when he isn’t doing a show. He is having a field day treating his windows like production numbers. “This week, it’s called the beheading of John the Baptist; next week will be “Horsey-Horsey, Tigidig-tigidig!”

 Seriously,Quintos adds,”I never thought I could do business. Now I’m able to compute, and I guess, like most dealers who love their stuff and don’t look at it as just merchandise, I love to make chika the customers.”

 Consistent with his attitude, he doesn’t hard-sell the items. If a sale doesn’t push though though, Quintos assumes that the piece simply “doesn’t want to go just yet.” As a collector, Quintos is glad that Filipinos are becoming more educated buyers of tribal art, even as the levels of scholarships and appreciation are iconically still higher abroad. “It’s the foreigners who know what’s good and what’s special.”

 On the personal front. Quintos has beenmore discriminating in choosing projects and is making more time to sit back, gain perspective—and write.”I’ve got about 5 plays inside me that need to see the light, and this kind of work is giving me the time and the inspiration..” With a little help from his friends, of course.

241. ANGONO'S SAN CLEMENTE PUTOL

SAN CLEMENTE, patron of Angono fishermen. Also called
"San Clementeng Putol" because the half-bodied santo was meant to be placed
in a pulpit, thus requiring only the upper half of the body to be seen.

The ancient town of Angono, which had its beginnings in 1575,  is famous for its resident artists (Botong Francisco, the Blancos), colorful Gigantes Festival and caves with mysterious petroglyphs. But it is also known for its patron—San Clemente--whose unique, half-body image can be found enshrined in the church located at Poblacion Ibaba.

A legend has it that the image of the pope saint was fished out of Laguna de Bay by  fisherman Justino Villaluz a long time ago. His net caught something heavy as he was fishing for kanduli (catfish), and when he hauled it back to the boat, he was surprised to see a portion of a log caught in the net.

But greater was his awe when he saw, upon closer inspection, that the log was actually a carved bust of a man with a crown—the image of the papal saint of Rome, San Clemente. Because the lower half of the body was presumed missing, it earned the monicker San Clemente Putol (or San Clementeng Matanda). It was only later that Villaluz  learned that the figure was actually carved that way, representing the saint preaching while in a pulpit, which hid the lower part of his body.

From the home of the Villaluzes, the image of San Clemente was taken to the town’s first church on a hill in Biga, constructed in 1751, which had already been dedicated to San Isidro Labrador. A second church at Ibaba was finished in 1854, and it was here that San Clemente was enthroned, amidst protests from Biga townsfolk who laid claim to the image. Hacenderos pacified the displeased residents.

Eventually, a full-bodied replica was made of San Clemente, which is the image brought out for Angono’s colorful and raucous fiesta, held on the saint’s birthday, November 23 ( a second thanksgiving fiesta held every February has long been discontinued).  To differentiate the two San Clementes, the older, half-bodied version is also known today as San Clementeng Matanda.

The fiesta is capped with a procession of ‘gigantes’—giant, paper mache figural creations, representing popular characters—including San Clemente and his family. This Higantes Festival has become inextricably associated with Angono—along with San Clemente who seemingly chose the town himself to be the seat of his papal mission in the Philippines.

WATCH A VIDEO OF THE 2008 HIGANTES FESTIVAL 

OF ANGONO HERE:

The Life of San Clemente

 San Clemente (or St. Clement of Rome) was the Christian world’s 4^th pope. His time was marked with persecutions against Christians, resulting in his deportation to Crimea.There, he ministered among Christian slaves who were forced to work in barren salt mines.  Upon imploring God’s mercy for the slaves, pure, clean water inexplicably flowed from the stones—a miracle that converted many Crimeans.

As a result, Emperor Trajan had St. Clement arrested and put to death. An anchor was tied to his neck and thrown into the Crimean Sea. But angels appeared to retrieve the body of the martyr pope from the sea, which miraculously floated already in a marble tomb, along with his anchor. He died in c. 98.

Iconography and Emblems

The papal saint is represented arrayed in papal vestments, wearing a papal tiara, or more often, a mitre. Emblems and attributes include an anchor on his side, palm of martyrdom, papal staff, keys to heaven (symbols of his papacy).

San Clemente is the patron saint of marble workers, anchor smiths, blacksmiths and seamen. Angono has had a long fishing industry tradition, and at one point was dubbed as  “Imperio ng Kanduli” (Catfish Empire). There, San Clemente is recognized as the patron saint of Angono’s fishermen.

 SOURCES:

"Heritage Discoveries in Angono, Rizal", by Edgar Allan Sembrano, 21 Dec. 1015, Philippine Daily Inquirer

 Various Religious Beliefs and Practices in the Philippines, Vol. 1.

240: Retro-Santo: STA. CLARA DE MONTEFALCO of PASAY

STA. CLARA DE MONTEFALCO OF PASAY, as she looked in
 the 1960s. Note her attributes; cross and balance scale. Souvenir holy card,

Pasay is home to the Sta. Clara Parish Church,--a landmark on P. Burgos St., which was founded in 1864. Installed as the first parish priest was Fray Simeon Betino, OSA, who served for 4 years.

The parish is under the patronage of Sta. Clara, who was born in Montefalco around 1268. Sta. Clara joined the convent of Franciscan tertiaries which founded the Holy Cross Convent at Montefalco in 1290. She rose to become the abbess of the community.

Known for living a very austere life, Sta. Clara had a profound devotion to the Passion of Christ and His Cross. When Clare died in 1308, an image of the Cross was found imprinted on her heart, and her body remained incorrupt. She was canonized in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. 

ATTRIBUTES OF STA. CLARA: Cross, balance scale and a pierced heart
 are old accessories of the saint. Her halo has been replaced by a radiance. .

The age-old image of Sta. Clara enshrined in the Pasay Church shows the holy woman dressed in her habit, holding her attributes—the cross, in reference to her devotion, and the balance scale—used for weighing or judging the goodness of souls against the word of God.

On her Aug. 17 fiesta, the image of Sta. Clara is paraded, accompanied by rousing  music performed by different invited bands,in a celebration so festive, befitting the saint who continues to be a source of inspiration to the faithful of Pasay.

AWIT KAY STA. CLARA DE MONTEFALCO

(Words & Music by Rev. Fr. Severino G. Casas.

former Asst. Parish Priest, 1962)

Sta. Clara de Montefalco,

Kaisang bituin ng Lunsod ng Pasay

Patrona na aming sinta

Dalagang santa n gaming parokya

Devota siyang tunay sa Santisima Trinidad

At sa pagmamalasakit ng ating Panginoon

O Patronang matulungin, igawad ang iyong awa

Purihin ka at kilalanin ng mga tagarito sa amin

Kami nawa’y patnubayan ng pagsinta mong tunay

Ng kayo’y makapiling hanggang kamatayan,

Hanggang kalwalhatian.