Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of the Caracol
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Nuestra Señora Virgen del Santissimo Rosario Mahal na Birhen ng Santo Rosaryo | |
---|---|
baton | |
Feast day | Third Sunday after Easter First Sunday of October |
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of the Caracol, known locally as Mahal na Birhen ng Santo Rosaryo, Reyna ng Karakol or Nuestra Señora Virgen del Santissimo Rosario, Reina de Caracol, is the patroness of the Municipality of Rosario, formerly known as Salinas, in Cavite province, Philippines.
Description
The icon is a painting of the
The icon of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of the Caracol is painted on canvas and framed in wood with silver adornments of grapes and vines. The painting is set with gold accouterments. The most venerated icon is enthroned at the altar of the Parish of the Most Holy Rosary, also known as the Rosario Church, in the town of Rosario.
History
Rosario is a coastal town in the province of Cavite along the shores of Manila Bay. It was formerly a barrio or (barangay) of the town of San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias). It was then called Salinas-Marsella for its salt evaporation industry. Marsella, on the other hand, comes from the Spanish word "mar" (sea). It was named so because of its proximity to the sea.[citation needed] However, before the twilight of the Spanish era its name was changed to Rosario in honor of the "Virgen del Rosario de Caracol" which was the patroness of the place. How this virgin came to the town, nobody can tell the exact details. A plausible story was told by one of the most respected couple of Rosario – Don Catalino Abueg and Dona Rosa Ner - as to how the virgin came to the town.
During the
The stormy night was followed by a serene and sunny morning. They found themselves along the shore of Mojon now called Muzon, a sitio of the barrio of Salinas-Marsella. With great joy and gratitude, they built a chapel on a ground which was said to belong to a certain Lieutenant Felix Suasa. The makeshift chapel was made of bamboo and the lumber used for the altar of the Virgin was from their very own boat. There was a great feasting for the affair. The image was entrusted by the crewmen to the people of the Mojon. The crew of the boat left leaving a legacy, which became an undying tradition - the town fiesta in honor of the Virgin of the Most Holy Rosary. After sometime, the people felt that they should give a more beautiful and bigger home for the Virgin. Hence, from Muzon the shrine was transferred to the present site of the parish church and a more decent chapel was built.
Historically, there is no exact data or record as to when she became the patroness of
The parish and the town of Rosario was established on October 22, 1845 as promulgated by
Devotion
The
The festivities include the ritual dance-procession called "caracol" (also spelled "karakol", meaning "prayer through dancing" or "pasayaw na pananalangin"), also danced in other festivals within the province of Cavite and thus serves as the local equivalent of Manila's Buling-Buling of the district of Pandacan. During the eve of the fiesta, the Virgin is placed on a float or andas during the dance-procession, which is then carried on the shoulders by her devotees (mostly male). The two-tiered float is heavily decorated with curtains and flowers. From the church, majority of those who participate in the Caracol procession also dances to the lively tune of "Pandanggo" or any Philippine folk music provided by the town's brass marching bands, hired to provide musical accompaniment to the procession or via sound trucks blasting recorded music. The float of the Virgin Mary is also swayed to the music while it is being paraded around town.[1] Together with the dancing, the procession is a slow snail-like pace (the origin of the word "caracol", the Spanish word for snail). The image of the Virgin Mary is brought towards the shore of Manila Bay for a fluvial procession.
Once the dance-procession reaches the seashore, the image of the Virgin is then boarded on a big fishing boat. While at the sea, hundreds of smaller fishing boats go around the Marian boat as veneration to the Virgin. Music is provided by the brass band also loaded on their boats. Adding color to the fluvial parade, participating boats displays different colorful banners during the fluvial parade. From Barangay Wawa, The image is brought to Barangay Muzon where it lands. From Muzon, the Virgin is once again brought back to the church with the "Karakol sa lupa" or "land Caracol".
This Caracol caught the attention of the committee on the Marian procession in
Organizations
The Confradia de la Nuestra Senora del Santissimo Rosario, Reina de Caracol (Confraternity of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of Caracol or the Kapisanan ng Mahal na Birhen ng Santo Rosario) is a church organization dedicated to the patroness.
References
- ^ Reyes, Julius (2014-05-27). "Rosario Town Fiesta 2014". YouTube. Retrieved on 2014-11-03.