MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 27 April) – Merry May starts next week, a month marked by fiesta celebrations in almost all provinces of the country. History tells us it’s a practice introduced by Spain as a way to divert the minds of our subjugated ancestors from the abuses of their colonial masters.

Nonetheless, regardless of its roots as a subtle tool of control, the tradition lives on among many of the country’s Catholic faithful. Nobody seems to care how it originated.

Indeed, who would mind history at the sight of the conspicuous lechon and other gastronomic delights on the tables of hosts, some of whom would go to the extent of incurring debts to honor a patron saint or simply to please their guests.

The feast, however, is just the culmination of the efforts that community members pour into the celebration.[]

Weeks or even a few months before the patron saint’s feast day the parish priest would hold meetings with active church members to plan activities for the event. Central to their discussion are preparations for the novena or the holding of masses everyday for nine days prior to the fiesta. In some parishes the parish priest presides over all the masses, in others, he would invite priests from nearby areas to take turns at the task.

On the feast day itself, it has become customary for some parishes to ask the bishop of the diocese to preside over the so-called high mass, as well as hold a baptism for children.

Yet, over the years, fiesta celebrations have evolved and ceased to be simply a religious event. Local governments and private groups, eager to make the whole thing more festive than it already is, would organize events like sport tournaments, concerts, beauty contests, parades and cultural events. Expect business establishments to also capitalize on it.[]