The first of May in the olden times refers to the first day of the season of spring where flowers abode. Here in the Philippines it is a time to offer flowers to the Blessed Mother. 

In Bicolandia, where four canonically crowned Marian Images (Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Naga; Our Lady of Salvation in Joroan; Our Lady of The Pillar in Libmanan and Our Lady of the Candles in Paracale) reside, one can say that Bicol has a solid faith and relationship to the Mother of God. 

In our exclusive interview to Fr. Joseph Solando, rector and parish priest of The Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Salvation and the proponent of Inang Magayon, the festival consists of the trilogy of Marian Events: The Grand Maritime Procession; The Grand Marian Procession; The Grand Aurora.

“We call these Inang Magayon Festivities, it’s the first time that it’s going to happen in this greater scale because usually we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Salvation, the patroness of Albay every third Saturday of August, but now we thought to celebrate something more meaningful for the month of May in time for the Magayon Festival, which we celebrate here in Albay. This is something new, as the Inang Magayon Festival,” he said.

The Grand Marian procession consists of almost 60 carozas carrying holy images of Patron Saints of Bicolandia (San Antonio de Padua of Buhi; Nuestra Señora de Soledad of Tambo, among others) and some contingents from around the Philippines including Holy Images from Metro Manila (Our Lady of the Abandoned — Marikina; Our Lady of Aranzazu of San Mateo Rizal; Nuestra Señora Soledad de Porta Vaga of Cavite; La Inmaculada Concepcion de Malabon of Malabon City; Nuestra Señora de Salvacion of Manila; Nuestra Señora de Matutina of Taytay Rizal and Nuestra Señora dela Regka of Opon Cebu). 

Magayon is a Bicol term for beauty and for the longest time we refer magayon to Mayon Volcano to “Daragang Magayon” but we have someone who is the epitome of beauty and it is the Blessed Mother,” he shared.