At the eve of the Feast of the Lady of the Pilar, most of the Filipino families come by droves to the Fort Pilar Shrine to light the candles, pay homage to Our Lord Jesus, Our Lady of the Pilar and saints and of course, to just sit on one of the benches and pray.
On the way to the Shrine, we pass by the Plaza Del Pilar and the wall of the Fort Pilar which is the entrance of the National Museum.
Candle vendor.
We meet candle vendors along the way, but this lady is really very smiling as she sells her candles. I begged off this time since we had huge red candles with the Chinese dragon design. The next day, I met her again and she happened to know who I was and this time, I bought candles from her.
Sometimes, the religious side also has the belief side as seen in this sign:
Entrance.
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| Of course, the first entrance is for safety... |
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| As we enter the Shrine proper... |
Prayer Before Lighting of the Candle.
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| our prayer before lighting candles |
Lighting of the Candles.
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| the boys help us out with our large candles |
We also have the chance to bring over our guests to the Shrine as well as meet friends who also happen to be there.
Central Altar.
The decorations for the main altar and the whole Shrine is still ongoing!
Carillon Bells.
As we leave.
I love how the buntings are flowing with the wind this Fiesta Pilar Eve!
The funfare and revelry we experience with Fiesta Pilar 2012 gives us the air of the feast and showcases Zamboanga at its happiest.
But, let us never forget the essence of the Fiesta Pilar is our continued prayerfulness and our devotion to the Lord and respect to our Mediatrix, the Lady of the Pilar.
P.S.
Here is the link to my post last year on the Eve of the Fiesta Pilar.
http://inpinaysfootsteps.blogspot.com/2011/09/fort-pilar-through-years.html
