The Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag

The altar

Since my mother and I were in Pangasinan for two days, we visited The Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary Manaoag and heard mass that Sunday. Every Sunday, masses are held hourly from 5-11am and 3-6pm (I think). Since it was a Sunday, hundreds of people were in Manaoag to hear mass, buy religious items, take photos, etc. 

As a popular religious and tourist spot, Manaoag has a hodgepodge of vendors around it. Vendors sell a wide range of products from religious trinkets to local food items. If you're walking towards the Shrine, vendors will offer you the Lady's image in different sizes.

We arrived in the Shrine a few minutes after the 9am mass. We entered using the side entrance and were able to have seats even if there were many church goers; it was like a mass in Quiapo Church. After the mass, the priest blessed religious items and the people as well at the front of the altar. I was able to take a picture of Our Lady up close. If you want to touch the statue, you can queue outside the Church where there is a long line of devotees waiting to be near and touch Our Lady's gown.

Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag

After the mass, I bought candles and lighted them at the designated place. There was a prayer when lighting candles.

Prayer when lighting the candle

I bought a small bronze-like statue of Our Lady and had it blessed. In Manaoag, there is an area where religious items are blessed 15 minutes after every mass. If you weren't able to have your religious items blessed after the mass, you can still do so in this area. People place their items on the platform and wait for the priest to bless them.

Religious items waiting for the blessings

Before leaving Manaoag, we bought food such as the native delicacies Tupig and Puto Calasiao.

Soft Puto Calasiao

Tupig

A Trip from South to North - Part 2

Inay and I spent a weekend in Pasingan.

For me, a travel will not be complete without visiting the market. A local market tells a lot about a community's culture. The products and produce on sale reflect how people utilize the bounty around them.

Fortunately, the house where we stayed was near the market. Walking distance! Imagine if you live near the market, there is no need for a refrigerator. You can get the freshest food every day!

Pangasinan means "place for salt." It is a major producer of salt in the country and their market proves this. The market in Asingan offers a wide variety of salt-based products such as bagoong (fish sauce), and alamang (fermented fish). They come in bottles and can be bought in bottles. If your nose is not used to the funky smell, stay away.:)

Tubs of fermented fish

Up close and stinky

Bottles of fish sauce

Alamang in retail packs

A Trip from South to North

After the invitation to visit the Liberato family in Pangasinan was confirmed and finalized, Inay and I prepared for our long trip. Inay cooked her delicious leche flan as gifts to them. We would be staying in Pangasinan over the weekend for their mother's 90th birthday.

We left Manila at 1am and came to Asingan, Pangasinan around 5am. A trip that would ordinarily take around 5-6 hours by bus, Tito was able to do it in four. We crashed into their youngest brother's house and tried to get some sleep.

Our host family consisted of 10 siblings, and lots of grandchildren. We met with the birthday celebrant and she reminded me of my late grandmother. She may be frail and has memory loss from time to time but she wasn't bed-ridden. She didn't know that the party was for her.

The birthday feast included local dishes such as Pinakbet (of course), Dagupan bangus, and Pancit. Inay's leche flan immediately vanished on the table. The old house was filled with chatter and laughter, especially during picture taking.

I hoped my parents would reach that ripe old age, with many grandchildren at their feet.

Long Lost Friends

In the 1970s, when my mother was in college, she, her sister and younger brother lived in an apartment in Manila with another set of siblings from Pangasinan. They lived like one family, sharing meals and stories. The two families had similar backgrounds, both came from the province, were from poor families and both had many siblings. Years passed and after graduating from college and starting new jobs in the city, they lost touch.

Forty-three years later, through Facebook, Inay was able to reconnect with her roommates from Pangasinan. Messages were exchanged, as well as mobile numbers, and they were able to meet again after decades without communication. Truly, a strong relationship and beautiful memories will never be forgotten. They were able to visit our home twice and they invited Inay to visit them in Pangasinan for their mother's 90th birthday.

Holy Week in the Philippines

It's out!

The article I wrote for my cousin's food website is already posted. You can read it here. Sorry, my post about this news is late, tho.