El Botafumiero: Fumigating Pilgrims And Civil Servants 😆

It was a cold autumn morning when I found myself on top of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, walking on its roof and history. I joined a group of Spanish tourists and being the only non-Spaniard in the group, I could barely keep up with the conversation led by Lidia, our assigned Cathedral tour guide. 

I figured, even if I didn't quite understand a few sentences, with some palábras not yet in my Spanish vocabulary and conjugation way beyond my Level 4 Spanish at Instituto Cervantes de Manila, I was determined to enjoy the Spanish-language tour.😄

But after almost two hours of discovering the hidden corners of the Cathedral not accessible to the pilgrims below, we finally found ourselves at the loft watching the crowd of pilgrims at the nave and the glorious altar of Saint James, the Great from afar.

As the tour ended, we all descended the stairs hidden on the left side of the nave and went on our separate ways. I, on the other hand, went right up closer to the altar and chose a spot on the right, next to a huge column that supported the same roof I was just standing on earlier. The reason for choosing this spot?

The botafumiero.😍

(The Archbishop Julian Barrio Barrio celebrates the holy mass with the pilgrims from all over the world)

The botafumiero is the most famous thurible in the world. A thurible is a metal censer that is used in many churches and religions around the world. In Santiago de Compostela, the botafumiero ('smoke expeller' in the Galician language) is used at the Cathedral as part of the tradition that's more than 600 years old.

It was almost noon when I claimed this spot. Soon after, the mass officiated by no less than the Archbishop Julian Barrio Barrio of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela began.

And right in the middle of the mass, it all happened for all the pilgrims to experience.

Eight men clothed in red robes went in front of the altar and pulled the botafumiero while a nun sang a hymn in Spanish. The metal censer weighed about 54 kilos and those eight men pulled the ropes to create momentum for the botafumiero to swing across the nave. According to a story from the 16th century, the ropes holding the botafumiero snapped and the metal censer landed on a pilgrim, killing him (or was it her?) on the spot. The other pilgrims believed that the soul of the unfortunate pilgrim went straight to heaven as the pilgrim just completed the camino and died right inside the Cathedral.

And as the botafumiero swung across the nave, from left to right and back, the pilgrims below took out their cameras and trained them high up to the heavy metal censer, now weighting more than 150 kilos due to the momentum. The botafumiero was now spreading the incense from high up, fumigating the sacred halls.

In the olden times, other than lifting the prayers up to the heavens, the botafumiero subdued the smell of the sweaty pilgrims below, who, along with a pack of their unwashed clothes, must have carried with them a few diseases.

My botafumiero experience lasted for a few minutes but it stays with me for a lifetime, fumigation anecdotes and all.

That's why, these days, when some uninformed government official suggested steaming one's self to kill the corona virus, the botafumiero tradition came to mind. 

Other than giving pilgrims an experience of a lifetime, the botafumiero could probably fumigate these public officials' minds. 

For some divine enlightenment.😀 

A botafumiero video:

The Quarantined Life: Are We There Yet?

From where I am, the airplanes landing on the nearest airport are only sweeper flights from other airports to bring home the stranded locals. And I won't even dare visit the closest airport even if it's just 20 minutes away.😱

This pandemic has turned 2020 into a really bad year for the travel and tourism industries because no one wants to move around, much less fly.

It's summer, and this time last year, everyone was on a plane, a bus, a car, a ship and a train headed to another adventure.

Just like you, I have wondered when I would be able to fly to another place to discover new culture, learn interesting heritage and most important, try new and yummy flavors and cuisines again. 😍

Whenever I was on a plane on a journey to discover new places, I would constantly check the TV screen for the flight details such as the distance and expected time to arrive at our destination, like these photos I took of the in-flight information showing the our plane's route and our flight's estimated time to arrive on one of my flights.

But in these difficult times, we could hardly tell the expected time all these would blow over so we could fly and travel again.

But until then, we can just helplessly ask, "Are we there yet?" 😢

And to all the pilots, flight attendants, ground staff, mechanics and maintenance team, food and catering staff, luggage handling, and everyone in the airline industry, hang in there. We will be flying with you soon! 😎

Our Lady of Victory Parish: Share Without Flair 😍

Responding to the call of the Most Rev. Patricio Buzon, Bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod, Philippines, to help our brothers and sisters in these difficult times caused by the Covid-19, the Our Lady of Victory Parish of Victorias City, led by Rev. Fr. Rafael Baja, parish priest, and Rev. Fr. Vince Camarines, parochial vicar, has been accepting donations of rice, noodles, canned goods, and other essential items from generous donors throughout the Parish since April 2020.

These donations were then packed by volunteers and distributed to the vulnerable families of the basic ecclesial communities in several haciendas within the Parish.

As I trailed Rev. Fr. Vince Camarines and the parish  volunteers during the distribution, I photographed the activities of sharing and caring, and deliberately left out faces because genuine charity should be faceless and nameless, except for a few photos where a smile brought joy to the team.😍

Because in this age of social media, some exploit the misfortunes of the poor for politics, selfish propaganda, and 'Likes'. 😩 

They share without flair.👍

The donations shared with these families, whose livelihood and sources of income have been affected by lockdowns, quarantines, restrictions and the absence of public transport, are a testament to our belief that it is our duty to look after one another. After all, we are all God's children.👪

Just as the Parish held the procession (video below) during the feast of Our Lady of Victory (Nuestra Señora de Las Victorias) on April 26, 2020, we continue to pray for the Virgin's intercession. 🙏 

(The procession of Nuestra Señora de Las Victorias)


The distribution of food packs was made possible through the generosity of the parishioners who simply responded to the online call for help posted at the Parish's official Facebook page as the Parish did not send out solicitation letters for this program. Kind souls read the post and answered with their heart.💗

As of end of May 2020, the Parish had distributed 2,320 food packs.👼 

The Parish continues to accept donations, and no gift is too small to make a difference.💝

Please click: The official Facebook page of the Our Lady of Victory Parish

And to all the parishioners who shared, gave, and donated in kind, in cash and their precious time, madamô guid nga salamat sa inyo bulig.😇

Here are the photographs in a video.😊

* * * * *

From the goodness of the donors, the simple gifts of rice and other food were received with both hands and by grateful hearts. 🙏

PS. I brought my camera to the rural areas, to the haciendas lying at the outskirts of the city.

And I came home, not just with pictures, but with so much more.😎