Celebration of the Immaculate Conception

A photo says a thousand words.  As these depict, this is one of the most important celebrations for villages of Chuburná Chelem, Flamboyanes as they celebrate together at the Chuburná Port.

During the Mass, the Padre greeted everyone including the expats ( extranjeros) in the crowd.... in his words " You are joining us, not as extranjeros, but as brothers and sisters" ..  Certainly made us feel very welcome. 

 The children gather after MASS before joining the procession into Chuburná

You may recognize some of the children as your students... 

Because of inclement weather,  the statue of the Virgin was not taken out to the ocean where flowers would have been dropped as blessings for the fishermen.  

And so the Procession Begins, led by the two statues of the Virgin Mary; the first from Chuburná and the second from Chelem.

These are followed by many colorful, beautiful banners carried by villagers from the surrounding communities along with a statues of Jesus. 

The traditional dancing begins as the processions stops along the way 

No parade is complete without trumpets, horns and a mariachi band 

 One more dance before the statues and banners enter the church.

The entry is marked by women throwing rose petals, noisy fireworks and mariachi music...

A short service in the church is followed by villagers presenting flowers and plants asking for the Virgin's blessings on their families and homes .

The fiesta continues in the square with local free food, plenty of refreshments and live music. 

The food is provided free by local groups from donations made to them by the villagers.. This way everyone has access to it regardless of financial situation..

IN THE TRUE SPIRIT OF HELP THY NEIGHBOUR 

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Our next BLOG is all about the work we have been doing these past few months... 

Until then, Dorothy, Beverly, Donna and Ben