The Origin of San Mateo’s Kakanin Festival

1SANMATEO

BIRHEN NG ARANZAZU

HOMEMADE DELICACIES

SAYAW ALAY SA BIRHEN

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Happy Fiesta ng Kakanin on the town of San Mateo, province of Rizal.

San Mateo, Rizal has been well known for its Kakanin Festival, a parade of rice delicacies together with traditional dances that displays the beauty and the bountiful year of the town. Parishioners, devotees, and different organizations takes part in the parade in grand floats where each of them presents different kinds of kakanin that the town is proud of. A solemn mass is celebrated before the parade and the kakanins are given for free after.

Suman and puto, of different varieties, kutsinta, palitaw, sapin-sapin, biko, and even the seasonal bibingka and puto-bungbong that are usually seen at markets are the stars in the day of the festival. These rice delicacies has been the source of income of many of the people of San Mateo, being peddled in a basket or sold at markets and some at their own store.

The festival was first introduced by then parish priest, Mnsgr. Manuel Balbago Jr. for the celebration of the feast of Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu. Since it started 19 years ago, the 9th of September has been different for the people of San Mateo. Bright colors and smiles became more evident and the streets has always been loud of joys and praises for the patron of natural disasters and dear Mother of San Mateo, Our Lady of Aranzazu. (Emman Velasco)

Our Lady of Aranzazu

Our Lady of Aranzazu (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu) is a Roman Catholic title of the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in San Mateo, Rizal, Philippines. The image is widely known due to claims of miraculous healing and flood safety. Pope Francis granted the image a Canonical coronation on 31 May 2017.

History

The history of Christianity in San Mateo, Rizal dates back to the early Spanish era of 1596, when the Augustinians friars built the first settlements in the place.

On 29 August 1596, the first parish was built under and in honor of the patron Saint Matthew.

On 6 December 1696, the Jesuits came and gained control of the town. The history of the Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu (also known as Birhen ng Bayang San Mateo) in San Mateo, Rizal dates back to the early Spanish era of 1705.

A Jesuit priest, Padre Juan de Echazabal, started the devotion to Our Lady of Aranzazu from Spain and changed the patron of the town from St. Matthew to Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu.^[1]

In 1716, a new church was constructed on the site of the current church and placed the church of San Mateo under the patronage of the Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu. The first image of the Virgin of Aranzazu was brought to the Philippines by a Spanish captain from the Basque region.

In 1732, the Dominican Order of Letran in Intramuros made effort in spreading the devotion to the Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu among Filipinos during the Spanish era.

The church was proclaimed as Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu on 16 July 2004.