"Our Lady of Salambao" is one of the three patron saints of the town Obando

Obando, Bulacan

Obando is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. It is 16 kilometers away from the Philippine capital Manila. Obando is landlocked, bordered by two cities from Metro Manila namely Valenzuela City in the east, Navotas and Malabon City in the south, Bulacan in the north,...

, Bulacan

Bulacan

Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro...

, near Manila

Manila

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

 in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. She is invoked by fishermen for a bountiful catch, owing to her image being found by a fisherman using a salambaw, a type of net.

Legend

Local legend narrates the miraculous 1793 discovery of the Virgin Mary's image when three fishermen named Juan, Julian, and Diego dela Cruz caught it with their salambaw, a fishing net supported with bamboo crosspieces and mounted on a raft. At the time they were fishing at a place known as Hulingduong, Binwangan, at the town of Tambobong or Malabon. When the fishermen decided to bring the image of the Virgin Mary to the neighbouring town of Navotas, their fishing boat suddenly became heavy and immobile. When they eventually decided to bring the image to Obando, their fishing boat quickly lightened and became easy to paddle. The image is enshrined in the high altar of the Obando church, and during the Fertility Rites is processed around within a replica of her attribute, the salambaw.

Feast

The feast day of Our Lady of Salambao on May 19 is celebrated within the context of the Obando Fertility Rites

Obando Fertility Rites

The Obando Fertility Rites is a Filipino dance ritual. Every year during the month of May, to the tune of musical instruments made out of bamboo materials, the men, women and children of Obando, Bulacan, Philippines wear traditional dance costumes to dance on the streets followed by the images of...

. The triduum in honour of Our Lady of Salambao and the two other patron saints San Pascual Baylon and Santa Clara, is celebrated every 17th, 18th, and 19th of May. The celebrations are held at the Obando Church

Obando Church

The Obando Church or the Church of Obando is one of the oldest and most historic churches in the Philippines. Its parish is located at the town of Obando in the province of Bulacan, on the island of Luzon...

, Barangay

Barangay

A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

 Pag-asa, Obando, Bulacan

Bulacan

Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro...

.