Our Lady of Peñafrancia

Our Lady of Peñafrancia

The feast (or Fiesta) of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is celebrated on the third Saturday of September in Naga City, Bicol. The feast day is preceded by a nine days of novena prayer, in honor of the Virgin Mary. On the first day, the image of the Virgin, a copy of the Madonna in Peñafrancia, Spain, is brought from its shrine to the Naga Cathedral where the novena is held. On the last day, the image is returned to her shrine following the Naga River route. The colorful evening procession is lit by thousands of candles from devotees in boats escorting the image. When the barge reaches its destination, the devotees shout “Viva la Virgen” (Long live the Virgin!) and the image is brought back in a procession to the cathedral. The famous Madonna is believed to have miraculous powers. On her feast day, pilgrims gather at her shrine to pay her homage for favors received.

I have also included a timelapse photography of Bong Bajo, where over 15,000 still photos were put together to create the video. In the video, you will see how deeply devoted Bicolanos are…..I hope this gives you a reason to visit my lovely province Naga City, Camarines Sur.

Location: Youth Prayer Group

Naga City, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Photographer: Kathleen Bichara, my niece

10 Comments Add yours

Genie says:

May 29, 2012 at 3:07 AM

Wow! That was gorgeous! I can not begin to imagine the time, energy and effort it took to put together 15,000 still photos to make a video. I’ve made a couple with about 30 still photos and thought I was doing something. lol

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jennysserendipity says:

May 30, 2012 at 4:46 PM

Thanks Genie…I would not have the patience to work on so much photos..Although, I am currently working on a family project for the reunion. I just finished a powerpoint family photo slide show for the whole family…It turned out nice and good!

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