An Engineer and A Globetrotter

Marching Brass Band

I was born and raised in Alitagtag so I grew up enjoying the yearly festivities in my hometown. The most famous of which is the recently concluded “Tapusan Festival” or “The May Flower Festival.” As far as I can remember and even just recently, the sound of the approaching marching brass bands have always been the early morning alarm probably not only for me but for many Alitagtaguenos every May 31st of the year. There are only two occasions marching brass bands parade the streets of Alitagtag, during town fiesta every May 7th and May 31st, the Tapusan. However, the excitement and the festive mood is more felt during Tapusan as we got to watch and listen to not only one but a least three bands parading the streets representing the three barangays closeby our place.

It was believed that the festival started even before Alitagtag was established as a town separating from the old town of Bauan. Alitagtag was founded in 1910 and the “Tapusan” can be considered as one of the oldest Catholic traditions in the province of Batangas. This only proves the townfolk’s deep Catholic faith that has been passed on to many generations. “Tapusan” is just the 2nd part of the month long celebration in our town. It actually starts with the tradition called “Paalay.” I vividly remember when I was a kid, my grandparents used to reserve one day for this occasion as “panata” or a solemn promise. This is some sort of small scale “hermana”, a sign of thanksgiving and to honor Mother Mary by offering flowers. Back in the days, the flower offerings were not as simple as buying flowers and arranging them in vases. Early in the morning, we pick flowers such as kalachuchi, alibangbang, ball lilies, caballero and Cat's tail (in order from above photos) around the town. The most common place is the cemetery. Yes, it is abit freaky but flowers bloom there beautifully and they have lots of it. The harvested flowers were placed on super sized containers and sprayed with water for the day’s event. Each petals of alibangbang and caballero were removed from its receptacle and the “florestas” (florists) as they are called composed of young kids and middle aged women arranged the petals in a bamboo stick or toothpicks to make a new flower. Banana sheaths were cut into different intricate designs mainly highlighting the initials of the “hermana”. The “AVE MARIA” letters and heart shaped banana sheaths were also made. The flowers on bamboo sticks are then forced into the precut banana sheaths and arranged beautifully creating a beautiful “eme.” The cat’s tail flower is specially used for the heart for its dark red color. As part of the celebration, the “hermana” usually prepared a snack whom everyone is welcome to partake and eat. The event normally starts at 3pm and before 6pm the “hermana” and the florists will do a procession to the church for the prayers and flowers offerings to Mother Mary. This has been a yearly tradition back in the days. But as the years passed, this decades old tradition is becoming less and less practiced more importantly the way how flower offerings were made. In this time and age where people tend to prefer “instant” stuff, the quick and easy way is to buy prearranged flowers. I wish the old ways can be revived before it becomes extinct and forgotten by the new generation.

And then, the main highlight of this month long celebration, the "Tapusan." To be the “Hermana Mayor” holds a very important role for this one day event. The prestige and honor of being the "Hermana Mayor" has the monetary consequences as he/she has to finance the building of the “karosa” as well as the hiring of the brass band and preparing the food for all the guests and “sagala”. The Hermana Mayor also dictates how grand the design of the float will be. Although the building of the “karosa” are the combined voluntary efforts of all the members, the associated cost for the materials, flowers and lighting are billed to the Hermana Mayor. It may be too excessive for some to spend quite a large amount of money for this one day event but the deep faith of the Alitagtaguenos somehow outweighs the cost. My aunt for one in 1968 became the Hermana Mayor after graduating from medicine as thanksgiving.

Kapisanan ng Flores de Mayo Karosa 2017

Street Dancing

Our family is a member of the “Kapisanan ng Flores de Mayo” which covers the Poblacion area. There are ten barangays joining the Tapusan this year. The whole day event starts with the street dancing in the morning participated by all the barangays. The marching brass bands parading the streets provided an added flavor to the already festive mood of this special event. But one thing is certain, the Tapusan Festival of Alitagtag is a very religious celebration of thankgiving and honoring Mother Mary and our faith to the Holy Cross. This will and must always remain this way. When all the beautiful belles and their consort are ready and lined up with their light bulbs on, the procession starts, normally at 6pm. The Herman Mayor always occupy the spot in front of the float all throughout the procession. All the barangays start the procession almost at the same time and they all pass-by the town's main church in reverence to the Holy Cross. To be able to watch all the processions, the best place to stay is nearby the church grounds. The procession normally finishes before midnight.

Without a doubt, the main attraction of the "Tapusan" is the grand display of the floats or locally known as "karosa". Different barangays build their own "karosa" with the different images of Mama Mary occupying the main altar adorned and decorated with different kinds of flowers and not to mention the hundreds of light bulbs illuminating the whole float. Every year, the design and concept of all the floats change showcasing the artistic talent and creativity of the Alitagtaguenos. The decades old photos (see below) which were kept in our family albums provide a very real evidence of how the float designs as well the materials used has progressed overtime from the use of papers to styroforms and even the use of indigenous materials. Even robotics and remote controlled feature are incorporated in the whole design to prove that though the tradition is very old, we still managed to adopt to the modern technologies available but maintaining the main purpose, to give honor to Mother Mary in the month of flowers.

It has been a decade or so since the last time I visited the Philippines and witness the “Tapusan Festival” in my hometown. I am glad to be back again.

I hope that the local government will further promote this festival throughout the country for all the Filipinos to experience this unique celebration that is truly “ala eh” and pride of the Alitagtaguenos.

For information, the following are "kapisanan" joining the yearly festival:

1. Kapisanan ng Flores de Mayo (Brgy. Poblacion Proper)

2. Kapisanan ng Diwa ng Kababataan (Brgy. Poblacion West)

3. Samahan ng Kababataan (Brgy. Poblacion East)

4. Kapisanan ng Bulaklak sa Mayo (Brgy. Conception)

5. Kapisanan ng Bukang Liwayway (Brgy. Pinagkurusan)

6. Kapisanan ng Bahay Kubo (Brgy. Dominador East)

7. Kapisanan Perlas ng Silangan (Brgy. Dalipit East)

8. Kapisanan ng Pagkakaisa (Brgy. Dalipit West)

9. Kapisanan ng Bagong Pag-asa (Brgy. Balagbag)

10. Kapisanan ng Liwanag sa Karimlan (Brgy. Muzon Centro)

(Note : Some of the above photos were taken decades ago preserved and saved in the our family albums. This only proves the Tapusan Festival in its early beginnings already shown the great artistry and creativity of Alitagtaguenos which is indeed commendable and something to be proud of. The information are only based on what I know based from my experience and being a resident of Alitatag, Batangas).

View of Florence from Giotto's Campanille

The Cathedral Complex

As we near to the last few days of our European adventure, our excitement grew all the more since the last three places in our itinerary were some of the must visited places not only in Italy but in the entire Europe. It was really a no brainer to include these cities in our itinerary. So after that memorable visit in Venice, we left the city and made a 2-hour journey via Italiarail to the famous city in the Tuscan region, a city situated almost 260km away from Venice, a city known as the birthplace of the “Renaissance” and home to some of the illustrious names in arts and politics like the Medici family and Niccolo Machiavelli. For those people in the know, one can easy tell that I am of course referring to the beautiful city of Florence. The two hour train ride to Florence could have been more exciting should we have done it during the day to experience the scenic view of the Italian country side but due to time constraints and tight schedule, we had no choice but to do all our intercity travels at night.

We arrived half past eight in the evening at the central terminal of Florence or commonly called Firenze Santa Maria Novella Termini. After getting off the train and exiting the station, we went straight to our hotel. Just a short impression of the terminal and comparing it to the other big terminals, Florence Central station was rather midsize but very accessible and typical of the many train terminals in Europe. Several shops and restaurants can be found near the entrance where passengers can take their last minute meal before departure or upon arrival. The train central station was just a walking distance to the city center hence arriving late at night wasn’t an issue for us. With the help of the google map, we immediately located Hotel Ginori Al Duomo, our temporary abode for our 1N1D stay in Florence. When we were about to check in, the receptionist told us that our booked room had some issues and so they arranged a different hotel for us. Accompanied by the receptionist, we followed his lead to our new hotel. That means however that we have to endure walking again on the cobble stoned streets of Florence while dragging our heavy luggage. Luckily, the new hotel was just a couple of blocks away. As we head towards it, a familiar architecture caught my attention. It was unmistakably the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore or Il Duomo di Firenze. And that made me really excited! It was getting late already and I can feel my rumbling stomach since we haven’t taken our dinner yet. So after completing our checking-in requirements, we went to our room, stored our luggage, rest for bit and went out to look for a restaurant.

There were several restaurants around the Pizza del Duomo but having a dinner in a place providing a unobstructed view of Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore was the best part of it; and Ristorante Caffee Giotto gave us just that. The restaurant was actually within the periphery of the church grounds and few meters away from the church facade. I’d been to quite a number of Catholic Churches, but Il Duomo without a doubt has its own unique brand of design and detail that is very evident even with a very low amount of illumination at night. We ate first and thereafter decided to stroll around for a couple of minutes then head back to our hotel. The early autumn wind was already chilly and staying out without a proper clothing wasn't a clever idea.

A Day’s Tour in Florence

Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance period as many historians would label it or the “Athens of the Middle Ages” was once the wealthiest city being the center of medieval European trade. The powerful Medici family held the power and ruled Florence for more than one and a half centuries with Lorenzo as the main patron of the arts. The great artworks, sculptures and architectures we see and enjoy now were the result of the great renaissance period which started in Florence and later expanded to other parts of Europe.

Il Duomo Facade

Surely, a day visit to this once great city wasn’t enough to have the glimpse of its long and rich history but we managed to maximize our time to see as much places as we can even for just a day. The tour started with our visit to Il Duomo di Firenze. The route leading to Il Duomo cannot be mistaken aside from our hotel’s proximity to this great edifice, its towering dome which was once the largest in the world provided a visible compass for our direction. The brief stroll we had last night gave us the preview of that to expect of this great house of worship. From its original Gothic design by Arnolfo di Cambio, the facade of the church was an elaborate pattern of polychrome with the shades of green and pink bordered in white marble which is a classic example of the a Revival Gothic design. The facade of the church is dedicated to the mother of Christ hence the very obvious presence of the many images of Mother Mary.

Gate of Paradise
by Ghiberti

Turning 180degrees from Il Duomo facade is another famous artwork worthy of sometime to be examined. The gilded bronze doors at the east side of the Baptistery was a masterpiece of Lorenzo Ghiberti which Michelangelo referred to as doors fit to be the “Gates of Paradise”. And up to now, these doors are famously called as such. The doors were composed of 10 panels detailing some of the important episodes of the Old Testament from the Adam and Eve to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Ghiberti was commissioned to do 2 of the 3 bronze doors of the Baptistery that took him 21years to complete. The ones installed here were just the replica for protection of the original. Though just a replica, the level of sophistication and detail was truly work of a genius, 21year old lad at the time when computers wasn't the name of the game but with the use of manual tools he created such masterpiece.

Interior of Il Duomo

The Last Judgement at the dome
of Il Duomo

View of Florence from
Campanille

A second visit to Florence may not come again or at least not in the near future so we took this only chance to see how the interiors level up to its exterior. Buying a single ticket, we were given the access to the three important buildings within the cathedral complex, the Il Duomo, the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanille. I know the drill when it comes to traveling most especially the touristy places like Florence. The key thing is to start early. And so we did! That allowed us the quick entry and avoided the throngs of tourists started to queue. We first visited Il Duomo. The moment we get in, I was surprised of the very obvious contrast from its exterior; an empty space with very simple interiors. There were no elaborate ornaments nor gold plated adornments can be found. Most of the interiors as I learned later were lost in the course of time and some were transferred to different museums. But one worth spending time inside the Il Duomo was Vasari’s version of the “Last Judgement” painted in its massive dome. Though very high from where we stood, we can still make sense of the paintings. If one plans to visit Il Duomo, bringing a binocular isn’t a bad idea. The immensity of the fresco (3,600sq.meters) was quite a task to accomplish considering the very elaborate details. The commissioned work took almost 12years to complete by two artists, first by Vasari till his death on 1574 and completed by Federico Zuccari. Apart from the dome, there was nothing much to see hence we decided to go out and went to our next stop, Giotto’s Campanille.

View of the Cathedral Complex

The Campanille is a free standing bell tower following a square plan. It is not attached to the main cathedral but the Campanille forms part of the cathedral complex. Though originally designed by Giotto, the external design followed the basic pattern applied by di Cambio at Il Duomo hence, the very similar appearance of the two structures. One of the best places to view Florence from above is in Campanille’s viewing deck the other being from Piazzale Michelangelo. However, the reward of seeing the picturesque Florence from above was unfortunately reserved for those who are fit and up for the challenge. The spectacular 360deg view is definitely an experience worth taking. Unlike the Campanile located in Venice, the Florentines didn’t bother putting a lift inside. They maintained the old fashioned way of reaching to the top by taking the stairs. And reaching to the top means laboring a steep climb of 414 steps in a very confined and narrow access. This may not be advisiblae also for claustrophobics. We were up for the challenge and so we climbed the steps. It was not easy but we managed to reach to the top with several halts along the way. And from the top, the beautiful view of Florence greeted us. Indeed a sight I will forever remember. I'd seen this view in many travel books but seeing it with own eyes gave that surreal experience. The uniform brown stone colored houses around the city of Florence was an aerial view I needed to capture with my lens including its massive dome.

It was lunch time already when we completed our visit to Campanille. We decided to take our lunch first before heading to our next itinerary. There are tons of restaurants around Florence; the challenge was which ones to choose. We didn’t have much time to check and so we just chose the first restaurant we saw along the way.

Queue of Tourists in front of
Accademia

Two of the most famous museums in Florence are the Uffizi Gallery and Accademia. Each of these museums are worthy of a visit with its wide collection of Renaissance arts. We would like to do both but seeing the queue of people waiting, we might be pressed for time so we either choose one or do both but not able to explore and enjoy the experience. The obvious choice was between Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia or Botticelli’s Birth of Venus at the Uffizi Gallery. Finally, we decided to visit the Accademia. It took us at least 1 hour of wait before we were able to get inside the gallery. Photography is not allowed and if you do, chances are you will be caught by one of its surveillance cameras. Inside the gallery, various sculptures and paintings were on display including the world famous statue of the biblical hero David by Michelangelo. The sculpture stands tall and proud occupying a very prime spot inside the gallery and can be viewed at close distance. The 17-feet marble statue was originally commissioned to be one of the sculptures to be installed at the roofline of Il Duomo but because of its size and weight it was decided to be put near the entrance of Pallazo Vecchio instead. The statue remained there for more than two and three quarters of a century until it was transferred to the Accademia in 1876 to protect it from the effects of weather. Today, David still occupies the same spot but only its replica. Many artists were in agreement that David is the greatest art sculpture of the Renaissance period. As per my reading, Da Vinci was also approached to work on this sculpture but Michelangelo finally created the masterpiece. And as many would know, Michelangelo was also the artist of the famous Piéta which is in Vatican, our next destination.

Giombologna's Rape of
the Sabine Women at
Loggia dei Lanzi

Another standout inside the Accademia was a plaster model of the Rape of the Sabine Women which was used by Giombologna to create the marble sculpture. The actual marble art piece made from a single marble block is currently on display at Piazza della Signoria under the Loggia dei Lanzi. What really sets this sculpture apart is its ability to encourage its audience to move around the sculpture and appreciate the totality of the intertwined figures created in a snakelike spiral like movement, a style in sculpture known as the figura serpentina that is typical of Mannerism generally characterized by elongated forms, spiral angles, twisting poses and aloof subject gazes. This technique made Giombologna very famous in the art community. Apart from these masterpieces, the gallery also houses some huge alter pieces and a room filled with plaster cast models by a 19th century artist Lorenzo Bartollini. What I love about this gallery is the fact that it was not too overwhelming. We got the time to really appreciate each painting or sculpture.

Mosaic Ceiling of the Baptistery

We still have one remaining ticket from our earlier visit to the Cathedral complex so after finishing our visit to the Accademia, we head next to the Baptistery. The streets of Florence are typically narrow and some roads are closed for vehicles. So the only way to explore the city is on foot. The cobble stone streets aren’t helping so wearing proper and comfortable walking shoes is a must. The tall buildings lining up the streets were decorated beautifully and provided a sort of an outdoor gallery as we head towards the cathedral complex. From Accademia, reaching Baptistery was just one straight path following the Via Ricasoli. What is inside the the Baptistery of Saint John was still a mystery for us. The octagonal shaped building projects a Romanesque style. The Baptistery is considered as one of the oldest buildings in Florence and on this building some of the illustrious Renaissance figures were baptized including Dante, the author of the famous The Divine Comedy and some members of the Medici Family. I was not expecting much considering its size but as a baptistery, it is actually big for the purpose. Upon entry, what awaited us totally blew me away. It was a sight that I’d seen only inside the Basilica San Marco in Venice. The mosaic ceiling crowned the baptistery. The mosaic details were beyond comparison and brilliantly made depicting a the scene of the Last Judgement. And occupying a large portion of the ceiling is the majestic Christ and the Angels of Judgement. Indeed worth saving the best for last on our visit to the Cathedral complex.

Panoramic View of Piazza della Signoria

Replica of Michelangelo's David
in front of Palazzo Vecchio

Our day tour of Florence will not be complete without the visit to the famous Piazza della Signoria. What was really interesting here, around the square were some of the famous landmarks of Florence; the Loggia dei Lanzi was just in the corner of the piazza adjoining the famous Galleria deli Uffizi. If someone missed to visit the Accademia, the option is to go to Piazza della Signoria to see the replica of Michelangelo’s David standing tall in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Inside the Loggia dei Lanzi, a parade of sculptures were on display literally an outdoor gallery featuring the works of some renown artists. The famous of which is Giombologna’s The Rape of the Sabine Women, Benvenuto Cellini’s bronze sculpture of Perseus and the Head of Medussa and the Medici lions. Everyone can gain access to Loggia dei Lanzi and enjoy the sculptures. Looking away towards the piazza is a huge fountain known as the Fountain of Neptune. Giombologna was also one of the artists which helped complete the fountain. The panoramic view of the square is indeed a heaven for arts students and the likes. I can stay in this place for hours with a good book and a cup of cappuccino. This visit to the piazza was the last of the places in our itinerary. The rest of the hours were just our free time to explore and enjoy the beauty of this historic city.

Cellini's Perseus and the
Head of Medussa

Aside from the Renaissance, Florence was also the birthplace of everyone’s favorite, gelato. This trip will not be complete without trying the authentic Florence gelato.

Gelato of Florence

If there is one frustration I had of this trip was our failure to visit Pisa. The city of Pisa is just an hour and a half train ride from Florence but since we had the limited time, we had to forego the chance. I just thought, there is always a next time. And Porcellino, the bronze boar sculpture just made that a reality.