Cult is the care ( Latin : cultus ) owed to deities and temples, shrines, or churches. Cult is embodied in ritual and ceremony . Its presence or former presence is made concrete in temples , shrines and churches , and cult images , including votive offerings at votive sites .
19-555: The Obando Fertility Rites are a dance ritual, Anitist in origin, that later became a Catholic festival celebrated every May in Obando, Bulacan , Philippines . Locals and pilgrims, sometimes dressed in traditional costume, dance and sing in the town's streets to honour and beseech Obando's three patron saints : San Pascual ( Paschal Baylon ), Santa Clara ( Clare of Assisi ) and Nuestra Señora de Salambáo ( Our Lady of Salambao ). The fertility rites were initially done in honour of
38-512: A plot device. Anito Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.150 via cp1114 cp1114, Varnish XID 965379747 Upstream caches: cp1114 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:49:26 GMT Cult (religious practice) Cicero defined religio as cultus deorum , "the cultivation of
57-644: A political center had become fully urbanized. Cultus is often translated as "cult" without the negative connotations the word may have in English, or with the Old English word " worship ", but it implies the necessity of active maintenance beyond passive adoration. Cultus was expected to matter to the gods as a demonstration of respect, honor, and reverence; it was an aspect of the contractual nature of Roman religion (see do ut des ). Augustine of Hippo echoes Cicero's formulation when he declares, " religion
76-548: Is necessary for a cult to be enacted, to be practiced. In the Catholic Church , outward religious practice in cultus is the technical term for Roman Catholic devotions or veneration extended to a particular saint , not to the worship of God. Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox Church make a major distinction between latria , the worship that is offered to God alone, and dulia , which
95-616: Is nothing other than the cultus of God ." The term "cult" first appeared in English in 1617, derived from the French culte , meaning " worship " which in turn originated from the Latin word cultus meaning "care, cultivation, worship". The meaning "devotion to a person or thing" is from 1829. Starting about 1920, "cult" acquired an additional six or more positive and negative definitions. In French, for example, sections in newspapers giving
114-682: The anito Diyan Masalanta, the Tagalog goddess of love, Lakapati, the Tagalog fertility deity, and Bathala , the supreme deity of the Tagalog people . The rites were performed within the vicinity of a dambana . When the Spanish arrived, they forcibly converted the natives to Roman Catholicism and changed their religious beliefs regarding the fertility rites. The rites are observed in a triduum : 17 May for St. Paschal Baylon, 18 May for St. Clare of Assisi, and 19 May for Our Lady of Salambáo. Each of
133-464: The Spanish word for egg white or albumen , clara , is also a pun on her name. Devotees participating in the rites would sometimes hold eggs as they sway to the fandango. The introduction of St. Clare by Spanish Franciscans as a replacement for pre-colonial Tagalog gods, especially the deity of conception Diyan Masalanta, transformed the old, animist Kasilonawan dancing ritual into the offering of
152-517: The Virgin Mary's image in their salambáw , a fishing net supported with bamboo crosspieces and mounted on a raft. They were fishing at a place known as Hulingduong, Binwangan (now part of Malabon ), and, when they decided to bring the image to the neighbouring town of Navotas , their boat suddenly grew heavy and immobile. When they eventually decided to bring the image to Obando instead, their boat quickly lightened and became easy to paddle. This
171-690: The celebrations of the 1998 Philippine Centennial. In his 1887 novel Noli Me Tángere , José Rizal , the Philippine national hero , has a character in Chapter 6 ("Captain Tiago") attribute her long-sought pregnancy to the rites. The pregnancy results in the birth of one of the novel's principal characters, María Clara . In 2012, the rites were featured in the pilot episode of the Filipino teleserye Ina Kapatid Anak , which used fertility issues as
190-571: The chapel built by missionaries of the Order of Friars Minor in the town. St. Clare was a 13th-century Italian nun, who founded the Poor Clares according to the rule and teachings of her contemporary, St. Francis . St. Clare became the patroness of good weather because her Spanish name, Clara , also referred to clearer skies after a storm. This formed the basis for the Filipino custom of offering chicken eggs to St. Clare to ensure good weather, as
209-519: The fandango to the saint to prevent or cure sterility in women. Eventually, St. Clare evolved into the patroness of individuals seeking a mate and to have children, particularly daughters. During the 18th century, the Franciscan missionaries built the town church and introduced the veneration of Saint Paschal Baylon . His surname, Baylon , was taken to mean "one who likes dancing", ultimately derived from Spanish bailar ("to dance"). Like St. Clare,
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#1732790966756228-511: The fertility dance due to its pagan origins. During the prohibition, normal religious processions were still held on the triduum, but without the lively street dancing. In 1972, parish priest Rev. Fr. Rome R. Fernández and the Komisyon ng Kalinangan (Commission on Culture) of Obando helped in having the ban lifted and in reviving the ancient dance ritual, which is still practised to this day. A contingent representing this festival took part in
247-510: The fertility dance, are popular with pilgrims from all over the Philippines, most of whom supplicate the triad of saints for a child, a spouse, or general good fortune. Throughout the three days, devotees joyously dance in the streets as a form of prayer, asking for the spirit of life to enter into the wombs of women. St. Clare of Assisi is the oldest saint declared patroness of Catanghalan (the town's former name), her image first enshrined
266-501: The gods". The "cultivation" necessary to maintain a specific deity was that god's cultus , "cult", and required "the knowledge of giving the gods their due" (scientia colendorum deorum) . The noun cultus originates from the past participle of the verb colo, colere, colui, cultus , "to tend, take care of, cultivate", originally meaning "to dwell in, inhabit" and thus "to tend, cultivate land (ager) ; to practice agriculture", an activity fundamental to Roman identity even when Rome as
285-418: The saint also became a patron invoked for fertility, wealth and abundance. An anecdote tells of how a childless couple from the neighbouring town of Hagonoy met a youth selling crabs. The young man told the couple to visit Obando and participate in the rites to ameliorate their condition. Upon entering Obando Church, the couple were amazed by the sight of Saint Paschal's image, for its face looked exactly like
304-676: The schedule of worship for Catholic services are headed Culte Catholique , while the section giving the schedule of Protestant services is headed culte réformé . In the specific context of the Greek hero cult , Carla Antonaccio wrote: The term cult identifies a pattern of ritual behavior in connection with specific objects, within a framework of spatial and temporal coordinates. Rituals would include (but not necessarily be limited to) prayer, sacrifice, votive offerings, competitions, processions and construction of monuments. Some degree of recurrence in place and repetition over time of ritual action
323-449: The three days usually begins with a morning Mass said by the parish priest. A procession , held immediately thereafter, consists of the three saints' images followed by bands playing instruments made of bamboo or brass, and devotees who dance the fandango while singing the hymn, Santa Clara Pinung-Pino (Saint Clare, Most Refined). The image of each saint leads the procession on his or her designated feast day. The rites, especially
342-403: The young crab vendor. This is the origin of St. Paschal's patronage of childless couples who wish to have children, particularly sons. On 19 June 1763, the image of Our Lady of Salambáo (formal title: "Our Lady of Immaculate Conception of Salambáo"), was the last saint whose cultus was introduced to Obando. Legend tells of three fishermen named Juan, Julián, and Diego dela Cruz, who caught
361-608: Was taken a sign that the Virgin wanted to be enshrined in Obando Church. She is still venerated there as the local patroness of fishing and of good harvests. During World War II , the church and a large portion of Obando were ravaged by fire; included amongst the damaged property were the images of the three patron saints. A few years after the war's end, both the Archbishop of Manila and the vicar of Obando Church forbade
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