Obando Fertility Rites

The Obando Fertility Rites are a dance ritual and Catholic festival celebrated every May in Obando, Bulacan, Philippines. Locals and pilgrims, sometimes dressed in traditional costume, dance and sing in the town's streets to honour and beseech Obando's three patron saints: San Pascual (Paschal Baylon), Santa Clara (Clare of Assisi) and Nuestra Señora de Salambáo (Our Lady of Salambao).

The Rites are observed in a triduum: 17 May for St. Paschal Baylon, 18 May for St. Clare, and 19 May for Our Lady of Salambáo. Each of the three days usually begins with a morning Mass said by the parish priest. A procession, held immediately thereafter, consists of the three saints' images followed by bands playing instruments made of bamboo or brass, and devotees who dance the fandango while singing the hymn, Santa Clara Pinung-Pino (Saint Clare, Most Refined). The image of each saint leads the procession on his or her designated feast day.

The Rites, especially the fertility dance, are popular with pilgrims from all over the Philippines, most of whom supplicate the triad of saints for a child, a spouse, or general good fortune. Throughout the three days, devotees joyously dance in the streets as a form of prayer, asking for the spirit of life to enter into the wombs of women.

The Philippine national hero, José Rizal, mentioned the Rites in Chapter 6 ("Captain Tiago") of his 1887 Spanish novel, Noli Me Tángere.

St. Clare of Assisi is the oldest saint declared patroness of Catanghalan (the town's former name), her image first enshrined the chapel built by missionaries of the Order of Friars Minor in the town. St. Clare was a 13th-century Italian nun, who founded the Poor Clares according to the rule and teachings of her contemporary, St. Francis.

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