FIESTA OF
CARIGARA
The Legend
Early one morning, a fleet of Moro vessels suddenly appeared on the horizon. A Moro raid!
The people fled in terror. Those who did not die at the hands of the sea pirates were carried off as captives to be
held for ransom or sold as slaves. The old and the sick who were left in the village fell to their knees in prayer.
As if in answer, the sky darkened and a storm broke. Then above the present town site a huge black cloud took the
form of a cross. When the sky cleared the Moro pirates were nowhere in sight. The people fell to their knees again,
this time in thanksgiving. They remembered the cross in the sky, and decided to build their town on the spot over
which it had appeared - at the mouth of Kalgara River. From that time on, the Holy Cross became the object of veneration
and devotion at the annual fiesta of Carigara.
The History
Jesuit missionaries led by Fr. Chirino left Manila in the middle of June 1595. They took the
Panay route and sailed for Leyte. They landed on the shores of Carigara in the morning of July 16, 1595, the same
day on which the Triumph of the Holy Cross was celebrated in Spain. On the beach, Fr. Chirino and his brother priests
said mass and Brother Garay received communion.
After the mass, Fr. Chirino and his companions erected a cross to mark the day and the place of their historic
landing. They then walked to the town proper where encomendero, Cristobal de Trujillo, along with the townspeople
welcomed the missionaries with great festivity and rejoicing. This was the first celebration of the Feast of the
Triumph of the Holy Cross in Carigara and in Leyte.
In the time that Fr. Chirino was in Carigara, he noted two admirable customs:
1) the hospitality of the people; and
2) the price of rice never varied,
whether the harvest was good or bad. While Cristobal de Trujillo was having a house constructed for the Jesuits,
the missionaries stayed with him and used a chapel left by the Augustinians as their temporary church. As Fr. Chirino's
instruction was to select a suitable mission site, he left three of his companions in Carigara to study Visayan
and start catechism classes while he and brother priest, Fr. Pereira, sailed east and south to find a second site.
When Fr. Chirino returned to Carigara around the end of July, he found his companions occupying the house the people
had built for them.
After his victories, which he
partly attributed to the miraculous power of the Cross, Constantine became a committed Christian. When his capital
city, Constantinople, was inaugurated on May 11, 330, he dedicated it to the holy Trinity and to the Mother of God. The
Santacruzan procession in May features a Reyna Elena and a Constantino to immortalize Empress Helena and Emperor
Constantine.
The Holy Cross miraculously
appeared again in 1212 during the battle of Tolosa in Spain where Christians overcame their Mohammedan foes. It
is said that the battle was won because the Holy Cross appeared in the sky lifting the morale of the Spanish soldiers.
Today, the Triumph of the Holy Cross is celebrated
annually on the 16th of July by the townspeople of Carigara. The date commemorates the arrival of the Jesuits in
Carigara on July 16, 1595.
In behalf
of our beloved parish priests, Fr Martin Parayno, and Fr Anthony Mendoza, and all of the Carigaranos residing
in Texas and New Mexico, we extend our sincerest welcome to all of the Cariganos who are here today. This is
indeed a special occasion for it is the first time that our Fiesta honoring the Holy Cross is being celebrated
in this part of the US. As Carigaranos, we always remember to honor and venerate our Holy Cross since the founding
of our town and continue to practice our religious customs and tradition wherever we are. It is indeed a tribute
to our Catholic background and upbringing that we get together today from all parts of the US and Canada, to participate
in this annual affair. Here in Texas, we are blessed with warm weather, the presence of our own Filipino church
and a picturesque city making it a prime city for Fiesta celebrations.
We wish to welcome and to thank Fr Ernest Palaming and Fr Ric Saldito, who have graciously accepted
to concelebrate our mass with Fr Martin Parayno and partake of our hospitality. We also want to thank the Santo
Nino Choir for participating in this joyful occasion, lending their sweet music and helping in the kitchen. To Mrs
Irene Wright who helped decorate the Carrosas and the altar, our eternal gratitude.
Let us not forget that this is a religious celebration and our feasts, dancing and merrymaking are only
secondary. May everyone enjoy and have a good time.
Teodorico H. Jaceldo MD
