Posts tagged with Sta. Maria
My parents had my sister, Tisay, baptized last October 30 in our maternal hometown in Bulacan. It was like a debut of sorts for her, since she’s now legally a part of the family, so my parents invited more than a hundred guests to a post-baptism lunch banquet of sorts.
Barangay elections were held across the country today. We went home to Sta. Maria, Bulacan to cast our votes. I didn’t actually vote for anyone. First, I didn’t know any of the candidates. Second, the entire barangay elections at present, I think, is just a way of reinforcing traditional politics at the barangay level, and does not offer any significant socio-political relief for the people. The votes have been counted in many barangays by now, and the results will speak for themselves. Majority of the victors are loyalists whose campaigns have been well-financed by political patrons at the higher echelons of the present political structure, incoming village officials who will simply preserve the ruling rotten order, with very few exceptions.
My parents hosted two small birthday parties for Tisay and our foster kid Bugoy a few days ago. Tisay’s actual birthday was more than a month ago, but since it was during the time when tropical storms were battering Luzon, we couldn’t go out and celebrate.
The first party was at our hometown in Bulacan. There was no program nor games, just a get-together over fastfood meals. Present were my mom’s colleagues in Sta. Maria and a handful of strangers.
The other birthday party was held at our hometown in Cavite with our paternal relatives. This time, there was a kid’s program hosted by a fastfood crew, complete with games and prizes. After the birthday party, we proceeded to the cemetery to visit the resting places of our departed paternal relatives.
We went to Amadeo, Cavite for our departed paternal grandparents and other relatives last October 31, then to Sta. Maria, Bulacan for our maternal ones last November 1. We didn’t do much at the cemetery. It would seem to me that we’ve been spending less time at the cemeteries the past few years. It’s not like the way it used to when aunts, cousins and relatives from all over spend an entire afternoon together at the family mausoleums for Undas.
The atmosphere around the cemetery, especially in Sta. Maria, is as festive as usual. Undas always feels like one big fiesta at the cemeteries, with food stalls and marching bands roving around playing religious fares.
If my birthday doesn’t fall on the day of our town’s fiesta, it falls a few days before or after the celebration held every first Thursday of February. I spent some hours during the day in Sta. Maria, Bulacan last February 7 before going to my late afternoon class and took it as an opportunity to stroll around and take some pictures.
Traffic in the poblacion, and in the highway around the Bocaue area is terrible whenever it’s fiesta day. Ambulant vendors, flea markets and thousands of pedestrians are all over the streets. It can get pretty frustrating, especially when you’re driving into and out of town, but it actually makes the environment feel quite festive.
After my late afternoon class that always last four hours into the evening, I invited some friends to come with me back to Sta. Maria and have dinner at our place. As expected, we were stuck in heavy traffic on our way. However, watching the spectacular fireworks display that went off while we were on the road made the wait in traffic and the frustrated hunger bearable.
law student, national democracy activist, film school graduate, photography hobbyist