Bocaue Pagoda Festival
The Bocaue River Festival is an annual celebration held every first Sunday of July (formerly July 2 from 1850 until 1993) in Bocaue, Bulacan, in the Philippines, in honor of the Holy Cross, the Mahal na Poon ng Krus sa Wawa , found in the river in the 1800s. The festivities involve a decorated pagoda on top of a barge surrounded by small boats accompanying it. A replica of the holy cross is placed at the top of the pagoda. The Mahal na Poon ng Krus sa Wawa is a replica of the cross on which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, is set on a pagoda, which is paraded down the river, led by a retinue of boats. The entire fluvial procession is colorfully decorated and hundreds of devotees from all over the Philippines gather to pay homage to the holy cross of Wawa. The festivities also include 9 days of the novena, which celebrates the rescue of the Holy Cross from the river of Bocaue. Devotees customarily douse each other with water from the river during the festival, especially during