Candon City’s favorite food turns Holy Rosary

Instead of the usual round plastic beads, Candon City’s favorite delicacy calamay ( glutinous rice cake) was utilized as beads on

March 25 in honor of the annunciation of the Bless Mary and in line with the thanksgiving offer for the said product for the city’s fiesta festivities.

“It is in honor and celebration of the annunciation of the Bless Mother Mary and for the city’s calamay product,” Parish Priest Vicente Avila, the initiator of the project, said.

March 25 is historic to this city as it is its fiesta day celebration in honor to the 111^th foundation of Candon.

The  calamay makers/ vendors of Bagar, Candon City produced 59 calamay to match the number of the beads of a holy rosary with a wooden cross at the start.

The calamay vendors themselves with some additional church goers mostly clad in white shirt held  calamay placed inside coconut shell draped with dried banana trunks.

The Parish’s Integrated Youth Ministry and male choir led the recitation of the holy rosary.

Each time part of the rosary is recited, the calamay bead holders take their places in a circle marked with church staff tying each calamay which eventually formed a living rosary.

The 30- minute whole holy recitation took place in front of the St. John Sahagun Church.

They later carried the connected calamay to the grotto and had a mass with Avila officiating.

“We are very happy because our product was used and our way also of saying thank you to the lord,” Liza Abaya, President of the Candon City Calamay Vendors said.

Of course the city government appreciated the initiative of the church.

“We are elated with Fr. Avila’s concept. It combines our devotion and thanksgiving,” City Mayor Allen Singson said.

The calamay were later given to the church goers.