TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Cebu Philippines: Celebrating the Parian Fiesta of St. John the Baptist

Parian Church that was torn down

One of the reasons I'm in the Philippines is to celebrate the fiesta of my small community, the historic Parian of Cebu City. June 24 is the feast day of St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the Parian. I'm a member of the co-fradia led by Louie Nacorda and Val Sandiego.

We say triduum (three-day) prayers before the feast day, and then we cap fiesta day with a big Mass, followed by a procession of carosas holding the santoses. A fiesta dinner and entertainment follow. It's all very folksly, and I love it. (Our current fiesta celebration pales in comparison to what used to be, but we are doing our best to revive tradition.)

Over a hundred years ago, a huge church had stood in place of our little chapel, but because of church bickering and possible rivalry, that church was torn down in 1878. The coral stones from the Parian Church were used to build the carcel or jail, another historic structure now used as the Museo Sugbo. What remains is a humble chapel near the Heritage Monument, Fire Station and plaza.

The article, Parian in Cebu, by Madrilena dela Cerna, gives the history of Parian, starting with the Chinese settlement in the 1590s and on to the 1850s when the Parian became the center of commerce in Cebu.

Some of those who attend the Parian fiesta are descendants of the settlers of the Parian. I myself have historical material showing my great-great-grandmother, Juana Lopez, had bought land in the Parian in 1896. My great-grandparents (Mariano Albao and Remedios Cuenco) lived in a house in Colon Street in the Parian in the early 1900s. This is why my attendance to the Parian fiesta is particularly meaningful to me.

Tomorrow is fiesta day, so stay tuned for more about fiesta festivities. I'm sharing pictures I took at the prayer and Mass this evening.