A Glimpse of Pasig’s 1875 Feast of the Immaculate Conception

 



In the 19th century, Pasig was renowned for its lavish and artistically elaborate celebration of its town fiesta—the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Every December, the town would come alive with a vibrant mixture of faith, music, theatre, and spectacle, as residents and visitors alike joined in the festivities. Streets would be illuminated with lanterns and Bengal lights, music bands paraded through the town playing cheerful marches, and fireworks lit the night sky in dazzling displays.
One contemporary account from December 1875 offers a remarkable glimpse into the scale and creativity of these celebrations. From high Masses accompanied by full orchestras to acrobatic gymnastics, comedic farces, and operatic performances, the festivities combined solemn religious devotion with theatrical flair and public entertainment. The residents of Pasig, particularly Gremio de Naturales under the stewardship of Gobernadorcillo Don Apolonio Santiago, spared no effort in preparing both public spectacles and private hospitality, ensuring that every visitor could experience the town’s festive spirit in full splendor.
This account not only showcases the town’s artistic and cultural vitality but also provides hints of the imaginative creativity that characterized Philippine town fiestas of the period—an interplay of devotion, performance, and communal celebration that transformed Pasig’s streets and plazas into stages of wonder and joy.


In a letter published in El Comercio on November 25, 1875, a subscriber (probably an official of the town of Pasig) detailed the upcoming feast of the Immaculate Conception in Pasig, highlighting the devotion, music, and theatrical spectacle that awaited the town. The festivities combined solemn religious observances with elaborate entertainment, transforming streets, plazas, and homes into stages of devotion and delight.


Here is my translation of the letter and some footnotes:


My dear and most respectable Sir:

I have the pleasure of informing you—should you deem it appropriate to publish it in the columns of your esteemed newspaper—of the program of festivities with which the "Gremio de Naturales" of this town is preparing to celebrate the coming 8th of December, in honor of its Patroness, the Immaculate Conception.

These festivities will begin with the novena on the 30th of this month, which will be held in the Holy Parish Church of the same town. During the novena, there will be a full-orchestra Mass in the morning, and in the afternoon, the novena and sermon—in which the divine word will be preached to the faithful attending during the nine consecutive days by the priests listed below:

Novena Preachers

  1. Day 1 — The presbyter Don Pedro Cangco, coadjutor of Pasig.
  2. Day 2 — Idem Don León Sizon, idem of the same.
  3. Day 3 — Idem Don Pablo Simon, idem of San Pedro Macati.
  4. Day 4 — Idem Don Gervasio Cangco, idem of Cainta.
  5. Day 5 — Idem Don Francisco Angeles, Retired Lector of San José.
  6. Day 6 — The Most Reverend Father Fr. José Corugedo., Parish Priest of Pasig.
  7. Day 7 — The presbyter Mariano Bartolome, in charge of the tabernacle
  8. Day 8 — The presbyter Jose Changco., chaplain of San Juan de Dios
  9. Day 9 — The Most Reverend Father Fr. Simón Barroso, retired Lector of Saint Augustine.

During these solemn religious acts, a select music band will give solemnity to the event by playing chosen pieces, and various fireworks will be lit to provide greater animation for those attending.

The joy with which the inhabitants prepare to celebrate this year’s feast in honor of their exalted Patroness is no less than in previous years, since the Gobernadorcillo of said guild, Don Apolonio Santiago, together with all his principalia, have spared no effort to make their festivities splendid—both with public celebrations and by having their homes well prepared to offer hospitality to all persons who might wish to visit them.

Eve of the Feast — December 7

At the stroke of twelve, the solemnity will be announced with a general ringing of bells and countless firecrackers. Various music bands will go around the streets of the town, cheerfully playing selected marches that will delight the spectators.

Afternoon Games (3 to 4 PM)

  1. Boat race on the river - Parianicillo. At the break of dawn, all the music bands will go around the town, playing what is known to band tradition as the  diana, the awakening the townsfolk and visitors so that they may celebrate with full splendor the feast of the Mother of the Divine Word.
  2. Six blindfolded men will try to seize another man who is smeared with grease, inside an enclosure.
  3. Two men will try to catch a pig with their eyes blindfolded.
  4. Ring jousting: several individuals on horseback will attempt to catch the rings at full gallop.

At night, the entire town will be lavishly illuminated with Bengal lights and Venetian-style lanterns, and the music bands will delight the attendees by playing selected pieces in the main plaza.

Feast Day — December 8

  • 8:00 AM: The Gobernadorcillo de Naturales, together with the principalia and other invited dignitaries, will gather in their tribunal to attend the religious function, which will begin with the High Mass, sung by a full orchestra, and a sermon in both Spanish and Tagalog. The divine word will be preached by the eminent and renowned sacred orator, the Very Reverend Father Fr. Simón Barroso, retired Lector of the illustrious corporation of Our Father Saint Augustine.
  • Afterwards, the cloistered procession will make its way around the church atrium. The parish will be magnificently adorned, reflecting the good qualities in matters of religion and fine taste of the meritorious parish priest of this town—the Very Reverend Father Fr. José Corugedo, retired Lector and former Definitor of the Sacred Order of Saint Augustine. The procession will go through the streets of the town, which will be beautifully adorned.
  • 6:00 PM: A splendid float of various colors will carry precious andas with the Most Holy Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception, as well as several other images splendidly adorned. A great number of torchbearers from all guilds and of both sexes will join, along with about four hundred men dressed in sailor attire. Following them will be the clergy with the principalia and the municipal officials, then a solemn music band, and behind them the squad of the town’s cuadrilleros.
  • 10:00 PM: A beautiful fireworks castle will be set off, with thousands of rockets displaying brilliant lights and varied colors. When this is finished, the lyrical, gymnastic, and fantastic theatrical performance will begin, in the following acts and order:

Theatrical Program — Night of 8th

  1. Song: A masked ball1
  2. Gymnastics: Turkish barrel with a ramp2
  3. The tree turns into a fortress from which various wild beasts or little devils come out3
  4. The mirror transforms into a mourning throne, and a specter appears3
  5. The goblet turns into a dagger3
  6. The garden turns into decorated ships3
  7. Intermission: 15 minutes
  8. Song: The Cavatina of the Roman
  9. Song: Crispino e la comare5
  10. Song: La Jeremiada6
  11. Gymnastics: The dry rope2
  12. Farce: Chino Juan7

Night of 9th

  • The table transforms into a dragon breathing fire from its mouth3
  • The palanquin in which Laura was3
  • From the cake, birds appear and fly3
  • The litter transforms into a turret3
  • The bridge transforms into the equator, the equator into a prison, and rains of fire fall3
  • Song: The Cavatina of Hernani8
  • Gymnastics: Flying clothes rack2
  • Intermission: 15 minutes
  • On the table or side table, figures appear; above them floats Gazapo’s hat3
  • On the table appear exquisite dishes, and on two dining stands, provisions appear and disappear3
  • The scaffold transforms into a magnificent throne with Bengal lights, and the clothing of the condemned woman transforms into the finery of a Queen3
  • Intermission: 15 minutes
  • Song: Petit9
  • Song: La Juanita, Spanish jota10
  • Song: La Marianina Italiana, by two children11
  • Song: Chorus of I Zingari from the opera Il Trovatore12
  • Duet: Domingo and Robinson13
  • Farce: The Two Clowns, performed by the two children14
  • Gymnastics: The Tumbling, performed by the two children2

Footnotes

  1. A masked ball – Traditional festive song and dance celebrating courtly elegance, often part of masked masquerade balls.
  2. Gymnastics acts – Physical performances involving acrobatics, balance, and agility.
  3. Stage transformations – Typical theatrical “scenic effects” in 19th-century festivals, involving props and moving sets to astonish the audience.
  4. The Cavatina of the Roman – A short, melodious aria highlighting vocal virtuosity.
  5. Crispino e la comare – Italian opera buffa (comic opera) by Luigi Ricci, popular in 19th-century festive performances.
  6. La Jeremiada – Likely a dramatic or lamenting song, possibly referencing a popular theatrical piece of the era.
  7. Chino Juan – Farce or comedic theatrical piece; likely featuring humorous characterization.
  8. The Cavatina of Hernani – Arioso from the play/opera inspired by Victor Hugo’s Hernani, popularized as a vocal piece.
  9. Petit – Likely a short song or aria performed in the festival.
  10. La Juanita, Spanish jota – Spanish folk dance song (jota) incorporated into the performance.
  11. La Marianina Italiana – Italian song performed by children, popular in festive or operatic settings.
  12. I Zingari, chorus from Il Trovatore – Gypsy Chorus from Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore.
  13. Duet: Domingo and Robinson – Likely a humorous or lyrical vocal duet performed during the festival.
  14. The Two Clowns – Comic farce performed by children, typical in festive theatre programs.


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