by Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
Conceptualizing Faith Tourism
Thursday of last week, March 3, 2022, thru the initiative of Lourdes Sultan, Marianito Luspo and Atty. Lucas “Dhoy” Nunag, the group brought with them the representative of the Dept. of Tourism of region 7 to assess the food for viernes santo – a part and parcel of the faith tourism that we have conceptualized
The components are food, the churches and their history and religious traditions as a way of deepening our faith. What we had in mind then is the food we prepare for viernes santo. The venue was my home at the Blue Apartelle. We planned to have the trust at our ancestral home – ang karaang balay ni Tan Akoy – but the place needs some repairing after Odette hit Bohol mid of December 2021.
There are only two days in our church calendar that make fasting and abstinence obligatory: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Fasting and abstinence would mean one full meal on those two days. But fasting, aside from its being part of our religious tradition, is also beneficial to our body. Yes, it is good to our health.
Poasa in my grandmother’s time meant poasa for 40 days from the start of Miercoles sa Badlis to end on Piyesta sa Pagkabanhaw (Easter Sunday). Aside from poasa, tingpugong pa jud: walay paminaw sa radio, walay motugtug sa piano ug walay mogawas gawas sa kalsada kay naay mamaran. Cuaresma, at that time, was experienced a real hot summer. But the times have changed because now, even if we are nearing the observance of Holy Week, the weather is becoming colder.
What did we have, then, on our dining table during the time of Lent?. What I could remember was the tinughong. When Lent starts, my Lola Danday would also start buying dried stingray or sanga.
That was the time when fishermen were free pagpamilak. I don’t know why lami man gyud ang sanga bisan bahong angso. Pagpamilak is now prohibited. Mao na karon bulad pinikas na lang. Alabugon as if we are pretending that we are serving is bakalaw.
On that Thursday of March 3, I prepared, tinap-an nga tulingan gibutang sa tugsok, linabog pinikas nga isda, pansit miki nga walay sahog nga karne sa baboy, and the queen of all – linubihan nga utan nga gilangkuban ug 12 ka klase ug sinubakan ug isdang pinirito. Kini kunong 12 ka klase nagrepresentar sa 12 ka apostoles ug ang subak nagrepresentar ni Hesuristo.
To complete the scene for Holy Week, I decorated my altar with bromeliads and some greens inlcuding the cadena de amor. I was thinking of my Oyang Tiva’s way of decorating our Carro – the Senior Jesus Nazareno – complete with the Hudijo and Simon. The garden of olives is not filled with flowers. It is a field of thorns. The cadena de amor is just my symbolism of unity. Unity and peace are two essentials in the world now. Cadena de Amor is something close to my heart. There was the cadena de amor ceremony at the University of the Phil when I was there. This was a ceremony with the seniors bequeathing to the juniors the value of U.P education. “Malayong lupain, ating mararating, hindi magbabago ang damdaming luntian at pula sagisag magpakailanman. Cadena de amor.
So in our tourism of faith, let’s have this prayer above that my college classmates have shared for the season of Lent.
Shown in the photo are: the chairman of the Provincial Tourism Council Atty. Lucas “Doy” Nunag(seated at exteme left) and The Bohol Tribune columnist Telly Ocampo (to the immediate left of Atty. Nunag), Tourism stakeholder Lourdes Sultan (standing to the immediate left of Telly Ocampo), and representatives from Department of Tourism led by its marketing and product officer Riza Macaibay (standing at extreme right).
The group in front of the altar Blessing the food on the buffet table