mysiquijor.com/Black Saturday 2006

Black Saturday 2006

Black Saturday

(April 15, 2006)

I had waited a long time for this day and it had finally arrived. Though I had visited Siquijor on a near annual basis since 1992, I had never been able to be on the island during Holy Week.

Holy Week for the majority of the people on the island is a time of fasting, prayer and sacrifice. It is a time to pause and reflect on their state of spiritual development and to spend quality time with their families. Not to bring my religious beliefs into question, but to me Holy Week brings forth a much different connotation; Black Saturday at the Juan Ponce residence in San Antonio, Siquijor.

It is believed by many that during the time between Good Friday (the Crucifixion day of Jesus Christ) and Easter (Resurrection Day) there are many evil entities not of this world wandering around. The concoctions prepared on Black Saturday are said to not only possess restorative medicinal powers but also are able to ward off evil spirits and sorcery.

My companion and I leave the resort at 6:30 A.M. and ride with my trusty side-kick Clyde to San Antonio. Approximately 30 minutes later I see a considerable number of motorcycles, vans, multi-cabs, and tricycles parked on the paved road next to the trail leading to Juan Ponce’s house.

Clyde chooses to drives up the trail and assures me that it is ok for us to park closer to the house since Juan is acquainted with us. The group of people that has already assembled is composed of Foreigners, media news crews, and various Filipinos. Most are shuffling around in anticipation of the morning’s event while some are shrugging their shoulders and pondering out loud why they arrived so early due to an obvious lack activity by anyone other than the spectators.

Clyde’s multi-cab soon fills with weary tourists searching for a comfortable place to sit down. I hear a few wishing for a hot cup of coffee while another claims that he would settle for another San Miguel and one more hour of sleep.

I begin chatting with some approachable foreigners. I am delighted to hear so many positive comments about MySiquijor.com. Soon the conversation changes to a political nature and after stating my discontent with the political leaders of my country I turn my attention again to other things more important to me at the moment.

Some younger Filipino guys appear and start to unpack various herbs. Ruben Generoso starts to pound and mill the herbal ingredients for the concoction to be prepared. An ABC-CBN news team from Cebu interviews him as he continues to process the ingredients.

Juan Ponce walks down the hill from his house and stands in front of the crowd. Smiling, he scans the faces in the mob that has gathered. Several people call his name and try to get his attention. Suddenly are eyes meet and he smiles bigger and seems to chuckle. I was pleased that he noticed me, but I am disappointed as he starts walking back towards his house. After a few minutes he appears again wearing a T-shirt that I had custom made for him. It has a colorful graphic of the island of Siquijor with his face position in the center. His eyes find mine once again in the crowd and we exchange head nods of recognition and laughter.

A fire is being built and one large steel wok is put in the center. I am informed that the initial ingredient going into the wok is some sort of local bee wax; a blackish substance. Florencio (Foren) Bulay-bulay from Cantabon, Siquijor continues to stir the contents of the wok. His assistant is from Mindanao and is seems very interested in the process and listens and watches intently. Juan stands nearby and makes occasional comments and gives instructions. Juan is obviously enjoying himself as he laughs and chats with some Filipino spectators and participants. He keeps a close eye on the process and occasionally points and gives orders.

I am told that the next ingredients added to the wok are various items obtained from the church. Among those items are blessed candles and holy water. The next element that is added is what appears to be coconut oil. The stirring continues as the mixture boils and smoke fills the air. I am informed that the next component is a type of local vinegar; but not tuba vinegar. The next thing added to the wok is the herbal mixture that has been pounded to a fine consistency. The final element that is added to the boiling wok is sifted sand that has been strategically gathered from 4 corners of a cemetery. The stirring continues until the mixture is a black gel.

The distribution of the concoction is rather structured. First served are the fellow mananambals (healers). After all of the participants are given their annual ration then the spectators are given a share usually in direct proportion to the amount of their monetary donation. Various containers are used for the collection of the concoction. There are empty cans from baby formula, soup, tomato sauce, etc. filled.

It is now close to noon and the crowd is dispersing. I have additional appointments on the island today so we decide to leave. We find a plastic bag to hold our two topless aluminum containers of the concoction and position it securely in the rear of the multi-cab. I am riding down the mountain on the way to Siquijor town and find myself trying to rank this morning’s experience into some sort of level relative to my life. I decide that I will attend again if the opportunity presents itself.

I give one container of the concoction (minasa) to a friend of mine that lives in San Juan. My companion takes the other one for herself. I have only the experience which I will treasure forever.

Siquijor Gary

The pictures below were taken on that day.

(Clicking on an image will open a larger view in a new window)