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 the procession. The density of the devotees forces some to swim alongside the pagoda when they cannot find a place for them in the pagoda.
On July 2, 1993, between 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM (PHT), the floating pagoda was carrying 750 people when it capsized and sank because of panic when its generator exploded. Almost 266 people are dead and 30 are missing.
Retrieval operations for the tragedy's victims took several days. Victims were checked for vital signs in different area hospitals. The bodies of the fatalities were identified at the town plaza and the basketball court served as a morgue. The casualties of the incident were believed to involve whole families.
The Pagoda Festival Tradition was halted in 1994 until 1999, it was resumed in 2000, continuing up to the present, but in a small boat only. Only the organizers and several parishioners were allowed to embark and join the Mahal na Krus in its pagoda.
2000 celebrations for the Bocaue Pagoda Festival were sized down. The new pagoda made was just 6 feet tall compared to 1993's 20 feet tall pagoda. Only 50 people were allowed to board the raft. 12 boats accompanied the pagoda. The police and military lifeguards were stationed in positions along the route of the pagoda procession.
The event took place in the morning and commenced at 10:00 am, July 1, 2000. Relatives of the 1993 tragedy floated flowers and candles on the river to honor their loved ones. A mass was also held for the victims. The date July 2 after the tragedy, became a day of mourning for the victims of the 1993 tragedy.
After 21 years, Church and local officials decided to revive the grand procession and building of a large pagoda for the 2014 edition of the festival after coming up with safety measures for the devotees. The decision is a bid to boost the local economy of Bocaue. A 48-foot or three stories-high pagoda which stands on top of three large boats rented from Malabon, Manila was built for the 2014 Bocaue River Festival. The ground floor of the pagoda covered 200 square meters. The wooden pagoda was reinforced by steel.
Only 150 devotees were allowed to board the pagoda at a time and each devotee was required to register and wear a life vest. It was previously announced that 250 devotees were to be allowed to board the pagoda.
For 21 years, devotees resorted to praying at the river in smaller boats. The Pagoda Festival has been returned to the people of Bocaue.
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 the procession. The density of the devotees forces some to swim alongside the pagoda when they cannot find a place for them in the pagoda.
On July 2, 1993, between 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM (PHT), the floating pagoda was carrying 750 people when it capsized and sank because of panic when its generator exploded. Almost 266 people are dead and 30 are missing.
Retrieval operations for the tragedy's victims took several days. Victims were checked for vital signs in different area hospitals. The bodies of the fatalities were identified at the town plaza and the basketball court served as a morgue. The casualties of the incident were believed to involve whole families.
The Pagoda Festival Tradition was halted in 1994 until 1999, it was resumed in 2000, continuing up to the present, but in a small boat only. Only the organizers and several parishioners were allowed to embark and join the Mahal na Krus in its pagoda.
2000 celebrations for the Bocaue Pagoda Festival were sized down. The new pagoda made was just 6 feet tall compared to 1993's 20 feet tall pagoda. Only 50 people were allowed to board the raft. 12 boats accompanied the pagoda. The police and military lifeguards were stationed in positions along the route of the pagoda procession.
The event took place in the morning and commenced at 10:00 am, July 1, 2000. Relatives of the 1993 tragedy floated flowers and candles on the river to honor their loved ones. A mass was also held for the victims. The date July 2 after the tragedy, became a day of mourning for the victims of the 1993 tragedy.
After 21 years, Church and local officials decided to revive the grand procession and building of a large pagoda for the 2014 edition of the festival after coming up with safety measures for the devotees. The decision is a bid to boost the local economy of Bocaue. A 48-foot or three stories-high pagoda which stands on top of three large boats rented from Malabon, Manila was built for the 2014 Bocaue River Festival. The ground floor of the pagoda covered 200 square meters. The wooden pagoda was reinforced by steel.
Only 150 devotees were allowed to board the pagoda at a time and each devotee was required to register and wear a life vest. It was previously announced that 250 devotees were to be allowed to board the pagoda.
For 21 years, devotees resorted to praying at the river in smaller boats. The Pagoda Festival has been returned to the people of Bocaue.
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