MY SARISARI STORE

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.

Fluvial parade.

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.

Fluvial parade.

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.

Fluvial parade.

On its way to the port area the procession passes through the narrow streets of Tondo under much interest of the local residents.

 

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.

Fluvial parade.

Nick Joaquin, in his book entitled Almanac for Manileños describes the  fluvial parade celebrations of the fiesta as follows:

“At four in the afternoon on the visperas (meaning the Saturday before) the Sto. Niño of Tondo is borne to the sea by a dancing crowd among which groups of women in pastora hats, or in katipuneda attire: white camisa, red saya. The dancing is through sunny streets hung with bunting and here and there will be a giant heart of bell that opens up as the Sto. Niño passes to unloose a shower of petals. Everyone dances, even the barefoot men bearing the image and the boys bearing standard or farol.

At North Harbor waits the great pagoda with turreted altar. The Sto. Niño embarks, along with everybody who can squeeze abroad and the pagoda moves through the flaming hues of the sunset escorted by fishing fleets bedecked with banners the smaller boats racing each other round and round the pagoda. Dusk falls as the flotilla sails northward along the bay. On the pagoda the dancing continues but the trip has also become a picnic as the good old custom of caridad showers forth bags of biscuits and baskets of native oranges. The Sto. Niño moves in a blaze of light on the waters of his city. The voyage ends at the landing in the Velasquez and Pritil, densest tenement of Tondo is even livelier because folks back from school or works join in the merriment and besides, it’s always more fun to dance under the stars than under the sun. Parents not only from Tondo or Manila but also from the province come to dance before the Sto. Niño to pray for a sick child or give thanks for a child’s recovery.



Mayor Lim (the man with sunglasses and the white Los Angeles T-shirt) is leading the parade towards the port area.

 

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.

  

 

 

 

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.

 

 

 

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.

Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival.