Pagoda: First Fluvial Parade Experience

Held every September in Muntinlupa, the Pagoda is a fluvial procession honoring San Nicolas de Tolentino. For lakeshore neighborhoods like Cupang and Buli, where daily life and livelihood are tied to Laguna de Bay, bringing the saint out onto the water is both an act of thanksgiving and a prayer for safe passage and steady catches.

Held last Sunday, September 13, 2026, this was my first ever fluvial and basaan parade, and also my first time experiencing Laguna Lake from a boat. I wanted to capture what it feels like to be right in the middle of the crowd, documenting the physical chaos of the celebration alongside the personal dedication of the people who make it happen.

The day begins in the tight streets under overhead buntings, where neighbors press close to carry the floral-draped image of San Nicolas toward the shore. Once on the lake, the procession opens up into a flotilla of motorized boats and narrow wooden bancas threading past bamboo fish pens and stilt houses. Even in a quiet pause on deck, the devotion lingers in small details, like a shadow cast across a draped white cloth taking the shape of a religious icon in prayer. Before long, the basaan takes over: men leap between bamboo outriggers, snacks are tossed from boat to boat, and buckets of lake water fly through the midday glare. Soaking everyone in reach isn't just a way to beat the heat; it is a shared blessing on the water, stripping away distance until everyone on deck is equally drenched and laughing.