Fiesta fanfare greatly missed

No fanfare, no banderitas. May 1 is the start of merry month,  fiestas are much more than just a good time. Their absence is deeply felt amid the stress of the pandemic. Photo: Leo Udtohan

Saturday's fiesta was indeed a sad day for candle vendor Mara Valmoria. 

Valmoria, 25, found no reason to celebrate since she is one of the millions who were crippled financially due to the pandemic. 

"Only a few are coming to church to attend masses," she said. 

Selling candles at the St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral in Tagbilaran City is the only way to support their hand to mouth. 

Before the pandemic, she went to different towns where fiestas were held for a living. It was the life of the fiesta.

She said she received fiesta invitations from acquaintances where she could eat for free in different houses. 

Fiesta in Bohol is characterized with abundance of food, drink and music.

"And I can bring" bringhouse" too given by the house owners, " she recalled. 

But when pandemic started last year, Valmoria felt the impact- drastic loss of livelihood and invitations. 

For the second time, Tagbilaran closed its borders to all visitors on May 1, in time of the city fiesta celebration. Police were assigned at the borders to check those who traveled to the city. Only those residents, frontliners, workers, businessmen and with emergency cases were allowed to enter. 

Present! (From left to right) Radio personality Edward Guyano, your VRS, actress and performer Scarlet, Fiel Angeli Araoarao-Gabin, fashion icon Maximiel and media assistant Helen Castano have observed social distancing during the feast at Espejo-Araoarao residence in Cogon village, Tagbilaran City. Contributed Photos 

In this province of Bohol where majority is Catholic,  May 1 is city's fiesta in honor of St. Joseph the Worker.  It also starts the merry month of May wherein fiesta is held every day in Bohol.

The travel restriction is to curb the spread of the coronavirus. People from other towns usually come to Tagbilaran to attend fiesta and stroll in malls.

A week before the fiesta, the province lacked the fiesta ambience.

The fanfare was to a certain level silent and somber as it is mostly virtual,  following physical distancing protocols.

The streets and highways were almost empty with less vehicles. Malls - Alturas Mall, Plaza Marcela, Island City Mall and BQ Mall- were closed to prevent people from gathering to keep people immobile at home.

Tagbilaran resident Fiel Angeli Araoarao-Gabin, 51, cancelled the feast  because of the surging COVID-19 cases. 

“I missed those times that friends come to the house for the vesperas dinner. Everything is sad and controlled now," said Gabin, a government employee.

Before, Gabin said that the weekend before May 1, she and her family were supposedly busy for the general cleaning of the house in preparation for the fiesta.

She said they would hire additional people to do the house cleaning, marketing, cooking, serving food and dishwashing, a week before the fiesta or else it's hard to find someone to do the work.

If her house is open to her friends, relatives and even strangers during fiestas, this time it was closed.

She just prepared a small feast for the family as a thanksgiving to St. Joseph the Worker even the ambiance is totally different.

Tagbilaran City has a total 257 active COVID-19 cases, the locality that has the most number of cases in the province. Bohol has 873 active cases and  41 deaths.

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