Not too long ago, October was a high point in the religious and cultural life of Old Manila. High society and commonfolk trooped to the gothic temple of Santo Domingo in the Walled City to venerate a centuries-old Marian icon in return for favors granted -- protection from foreign invasion, calamities, even personal miracles like safe childbirth. Prominent business families like the Zobels, Sorianos, Roxases, Ayalas, and Ortigases led the nation in keeping the annual tradition.
The often repeated lamentation is that the festivities have since been forgotten, more noticeably by high society. Four centuries later, however, the religious and cultural tradition has not lost its luster, as evidenced by the multitude of devotees who continue to witness the lavish parade of 27 Dominican icons led by the Lady of the Rosary, La Naval de Manila. The haunting Spanish hymn, “Despedida a la Virgen,” is still the highlight of the novena. To be sure, the La Naval feast has built a wider, solid following dominated by the resilient Filipino middle class.
It is also an informed devotion. The story is told over and over again: In 1646, two rickety trading ships, hurriedly fitted with artillery uprooted from the Cavite naval base, were able to defeat a formidable armada from Calvinist Holland (reputedly 18 galleons), which was bent on taking over the Catholic colony of Spain. The David vs. Goliath victory was attributed to La Naval. The then Spanish governor-general had pledged to march barefoot to Santo Domingo if granted victory. A choir sung the rosary nonstop as the sea battles raged.
