Ilocos Norte honors patron saint in first fluvial procession | ABS-CBN

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Ilocos Norte honors patron saint in first fluvial procession

Ilocos Norte honors patron saint in first fluvial procession

Denis Agcaoili,

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated May 06, 2017 03:20 PM PHT

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BADOC – Ilocos Norte held its annual festival in honor of the province’s patroness, La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc, with a fluvial procession- the first time that one was held in the saint's honor.

The festival started on April 27 with a 10-day novena mass, which concluded Friday afternoon at the Church of St. John the Baptist Parish in the town of Badoc, where the revered image of La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc is enshrined.

Hundreds of devotees gathered on the last day of the novena and heard mass. They also lined up to pay homage to the image of their patroness, before proceeding to Barangay La Virgen Milagrosa to witness the fluvial procession, held for the first time since the provincial fiesta celebration started in 2012.

Nearly 3,000 devotees flocked to watch the procession, while more than 200 on board 70 fishing boats sailed the border between Badoc in Ilocos Norte and Sinait in Ilocos Sur.

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After the fluvial procession, devotees reenacted the arrival of the image in the province, and attended a mass at the La Virgen Milagrosa Chapel, which was built to commemorate the arrival of the Blessed Virgin.

Badoc Mayor Maximo Cajigal asked for continuous blessings for his town.

“Sana, magtuloy-tuloy ang pagbigay ng biyaya ng ating Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc, at sa paggabay sa aming bayan para sa tuluyang pagbabago ng aming bayan,” he said.

The religious event was orderly, peaceful and successful, provincial tourism officer Ian Raquel said.

“It is our first fluvial parade procession and we’re very happy with turnout with the participation of the community. We’re very happy,” he said.

ORIGIN OF THE IMAGE

According to local lore, the image of La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc, said to be 400 years old, was found by local fishermen on the shore along the border of Barangay Dadalaquiten in Sinait and Paguetpet in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, now known as Barangay La Virgen Milagrosa.

Fishermen saw two large wooden boxes floating in the seawater- one box contained the image of the Blessed Virgin with infant Jesus in her arms, along with two statuettes of angels, and a violin. The other box contained the image of the Black Cristo Milagroso.

Allegedly, only fishermen from Badoc were able to move the image of the La Virgen Milagrosa.

The fishermen from Sinait who were unable to move the Blessed Virgin, were supposedly able to move the Black Cristo Milagroso that came with it, the image that fishermen from Badoc were unable to move.

They took the images to their respective towns, and made them their patron saints.

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