{"id":29363,"date":"2013-01-27T04:33:11","date_gmt":"2013-01-27T04:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clearwaterphilippines.com\/wordpress\/?p=29363"},"modified":"2013-01-27T04:33:11","modified_gmt":"2013-01-27T04:33:11","slug":"kuraldal-brings-prayers-3-times-faster-to-the-divine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.clearwaterphilippines.com\/resort\/2013\/01\/kuraldal-brings-prayers-3-times-faster-to-the-divine\/","title":{"rendered":"Kuraldal brings prayers 3 times faster to the Divine"},"content":{"rendered":"

SASMUAN, Pampanga\u2013\u201dA mixture of praying while dancing will find quick answer to what you\u2019re wishing for to God three times faster.\u201d
\nThis is how Allan Marajgun, a devotee of Sasmuan\u2019s Kuraldal Atlung Ari, explained why people from all walks of life gather in the more-than 400 years old feast.
\nPsalm 100:1-2 of the New International Version said \u201cShout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.\u201d
\nMarajgun, a native of Lubao town, 30 years old, started attending the festival since he was a child. His parents taught that as you rejoice with this celebration, honoring the patron saint of Sasmuan, Santa Lucia, your wishes will come true.
\nAs more than 5,000 people danced January 10 which was the \u201cKawakasan\u201d (ending) of the feast, they shouted \u201cViva Apu Lucia! Pwera sakit!\u201d (Long Live, Sta. Lucia! Deliver us from sickness!), a wide vast of individuals from infancy to maturity were tucked.
\nCatalina Banal, 80, was far from the stage where the image of Sta. Lucia was placed but still danced towards the area to the beat of the melody being played through barangay Sta. Lucia. With an angelic face and smile, Nanay Catalina narrated in Filipino: \u201cI was here since I was a child. The same prayer I\u2019ve been doing for more than I can remember \u2013 good health, long life, and prosperity.\u201d
\nA mother of five, she observes the tradition together with all her siblings. Even her grandchildren followed her lead.
\n\u201cThis is my devotion for Apung Lucia. That\u2019s why we are still here, doing this ritual until now. As you dance, the image of God becomes more visible, thus we feel nearer to Him,\u201d she said.
\nFive-day ritual
\nThe five-day ritual started January 6, in time with the feast of the Three Kings. The rite was believed to not only help afflicted people but also those mothers or women wanting to bear a child.
\nSasmuan\u2019s Kuraldal is considered one of Pampanga\u2019s two most important religious events that are largely unknown outside the province, said Kapampangan writer Nina Tomen, who authored \u201cKuraldal Atlung Ari and Libad Bangka ng Apung Iru: Beyond the revelry.\u201d
\nThe other occasion is Apalit town\u2019s fluvial procession of Apung Iru or St. Peter, patron saint of the said town.
\nLocal folks said \u201ckural\u201d means dasal or prayer and \u201cdal\u201d as dance, hence, the ritual is a combination of praying and dancing.
\nSta. Lucia is Sasmuan\u2019s patron saint, which was brought by the Augustinians in the early 1600s. Her actual feast day is December 13, but people in this town celebrates the rite from January 6 to 10.
\nKuraldal and Feast of Black Nazarene
\nKuraldal and the Feast of Sto. Ni\u00f1o are being compared as both festivals are celebrated almost on the same date. The Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila every 9th of the first month of the year, while Kuraldal\u2019s Kawakasan is on the 10th.
\nTatay Ponciano, another devotee, said that the only difference between the two is, in Kuraldal, people are allowed to wear shoes, sandals, and even slippers during the dance, compared to the other which encourages devotees to walk barefooted.
\nThe wiping of clothes or handkerchiefs to both images is present, too. In Kuraldal, the devotees choose among the images of the Virgin Mary, Baby Jesus or Sta. Lucia, or all of them, to wipe, while in the Black Nazarene, it is the image of Jesus bearing the cross alone that draws the devotees.
\nThe story of Sta. Lucia
\nFrancis said \u201cthere was a kind of air in the atmosphere that spelled out celebration as a unified spirit in adoration of the Saint and Martyr Lucy and the Virgin Mary holding in her hands the baby Jesus. People cheered and danced while shouting their petitions out loud. Some asked for flowers offered to the saints believing that by doing this they would come closer to being favored by the divine.\u201d
\n\u201cFurthermore, devotees also believe that mystical power is acquired by wiping their handkerchiefs to the patron saints. I guess people just have to believe that, to get rid of disease, to have a long life, a prosperous and abundant year means to sink in to the experience. The unbreakable faith which binds people together is best portrayed by celebration through a continuous dancing in praise and worship of the divine,\u201d he added.
\nThe image or poster placed on the stage, in front where the crowd dances is the patron saint, Lucy. It shows that her two eyeballs are placed on the platter to her right hand signifying total devotion to the divine.
\nFrancis recalled how this story came about.
\n\u201cLucy had this pagan suitor who claimed to have dibs on her because of her beautiful eyes. Knowing this, the saint, out of her total devotion to the Christ, gorged both eyes out, put them on a golden plate and offered them to her suitor. Feeling rejected, and perhaps to a greater degree insulted, the guy ordered his henchmen to burn her at stake. Thus, St. Lucy is also known for her martyrdom. People might have done the same in a more subtle way by asking for favor they dearly wished to achieve.\u201d
\nFrancis, 25, a guidance counselor disclosed the experience he had had which allowed him to think that \u201cdevotion is real. It is perhaps the true key to the divine and mystical. What we believe in or to a greater extent put our faith in is the real source of the cure to our own diseases. The magic by which one\u2019s petition works is the attitude, that heartfelt and passionate desire to be healed and be blessed by the divine. There are many faith stories in the world that touch people\u2019s hearts and tickle their minds but to experience one of them is far more real than just listening to the stories. And we have such experience set in our locality. Viva Apu Lucia! Pwera Sakit!\u201d \u25cfBy Joelyn G. Baluyut
\nhttp:\/\/www.headlinegl.com\/kuraldal-brings-prayers-3-times-faster-to-the-divine\/
\nEnjoyable place for traveler to hang out near Manila for family bonding is Clearwater Beach Resort<\/p>\n

Highly recommended summer vacation destination outside Manila is Clearwater Beach Resort in Clark, a safe and convenient tourist spot that offers natural ambience for visitors to enjoy the outdoors with no stress.<\/p>\n

Holy Week gives hard-working Manila residents a break from the stressful life at work. Many residents of Manila decide to go out of town to the North, to Subic, Angeles City, Pampanga and Clark Philippines in search for a peaceful and tranquil lake and beach resort hotel for the family to spend some quality time together.<\/p>\n

Manila residents travel out of town to the north to relax and unwind in a good resort in Pampanga that is suitable for family bonding. The best resort in Pampanga is Clearwater which is located in Clark.<\/p>\n

Family bonding is a regular activity in the Philippines for families living in cities like Cebu and Manila where residents experience a lot of stress from work. Many choose to travel out of town to the north for family bonding in a resort in Pampanga. Clearwater Resort is the most popular destination for family bonding as well as team building because it offers over 10 exclusive venues for events and gatherings. This resort is Pampanga is highly recommended by event organizers and trip advisories for family bonding, company outings, retreats and team building near Manila.<\/p>\n

Philippines Travel Guide just unveiled recommendations and tips for Holy Week and Easter Holidays in Philippines. The report covers highly recommended resorts and hotels in North Luzon, nice getaway destinations for families with children, safe and convenient place for tourists to relax and unwind, good restaurants, resto bars, pubs and fine dining establishments in Pampanga, frequently visited places as well as historical sites in Angeles City, Pampanga, Clark Philippines.<\/p>\n

The best getaway destination vacation spot near Manila is the safe and accessible private resort Clearwater Beach Resort in Clark Pampanga, a 13-hectare property with lake, beach, picnic grounds and small number of cottages. Parents enjoy a good round of golf in one of the best golf courses in Pampanga while children enjoy the outdoor picnic facilities of the best hotel near Manila, Philippines.<\/p>\n

Clark is already a popular destination for golfers from Manila. Clark Freeport offers some of the best golf courses in Pampanga and outshines many golf clubs and golf courses elsewhere in the Philippines.<\/p>\n

For inquiries and bookings, Please click here to contact Clearwater Resort for inquiries and reservations now<\/a><\/p>\n

Clearwater Resort and Country Club, Clark Pampanga <\/strong>
\nCreekside Road near Centennial Expo,
\nClark Freeport, Pampanga Philippines 2023
\n(045) 889-5151 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177
\nJoanne or Jeremy or Loydha<\/p>\n

Getting to this lake and beach resort in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Philippines<\/strong><\/p>\n

After entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway MA Roxas, passing the stand-along wine shop called Clark Wine Center on the right, continue to bear right making no turns at all, go past Mimosa Leisure Estate on the opposite side of the road, one will hit a major intersection. Go straight and the road becomes Creekside Road. YATS Clearwater Resort and Country Club is on the right just 200m down. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Family Bonding by the famous lake of Clark Pampanga<\/p><\/div>\n

http:\/\/www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Manila Sales Office<\/strong>
\n3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
\nExchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605<\/em>
\n(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay<\/p>\n

Email: Inquiry@ClearwaterPhilippines.com<\/p>\n