Old Obando Fertility Ritual

“...Santa Clara, pinung pino.
Ako po ay bigyan ninyo
ng asawang labin-pito
sa golpe ay walang reklamo.”

- as the song goes for Santa Clara (St. Claire of Assisi) whose feast falls on August 11, who led a most austere life, should have become the patroness of parties though died a virgin, become the province of Obando patroness of pregnancy. The “Summer Solstice” is the Tagalog fertility ritual called “tadtarin,” borrowed from Hindu ritual that women gathered accompanied of drums, bells, chanting and danced the erotic “diwang” before the image of Tagalog anitos “Diyan Masalanta” (goddess of love) and “Lakapati” (goddess of fertility). The terpsichorean worshippers redirected their ritual to the Virgin Santa Clara that explains why to this day the song of the dancing devotees is directed to her and not to San Pascual Baylon, who was a very late comer in the Obando dance festival of the fandango dancing women desiring children. 

Franciscans could not have picked on a better saint and the fandango gradually replaced the erotic dance “diwang” a pagan vestige to that of San Pascual Baylon was a perfect solution. His family name “Baylon” translated as “fond of dancing” in Spanish, biographer Father Ximenes wrote that in one occasion Pascual Baylon was seen dancing before the statue of the Virgin, so a saint associated with the dance was made titular of the Obando Church. The image of each saint leads the procession on his or her designated feast day. Throughout the three days, devotees joyously dance in the streets as a form of prayer, asking for the spirit of life to enter into the wombs of women. Jose Rizal made mention of this ritual in his Noli me Tangere: Padre Damaso advised Kapitan Tiago and his wife Doña Pia who both have been longing to have a child to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of Obando, there to dance on the feast of San Pascual and ask for a son. As the story goes, Doña Pia went, danced and gave birth to a mestiza Maria “Clara” whose father was actually Padre Damaso. 

Traditional are the dozens of eggs offered to the nuns of Santa Clara by party givers who don’t want to rain on their parties. The tradition started that “clara” in Spanish both means “clear” and “white of an egg.” In effect therefore, Santa Clara is being offered “clara” (egg whites) to keep a particular date “clara” (fair weather). Devotees participating in the rites would sometimes hold eggs as they sway to the fandango.
- ka tony
the 5th of August ‘18