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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider 'Basaan na!': San Juan City celebrates Wattah! Wattah! Festival 2024

'Basaan na!': San Juan City celebrates Wattah! Wattah! Festival 2024

Published Jun 24, 2024 04:14 am

The San Juan City local government on Monday, June 24, kicked-off the much awaited "basaan" (water-dousing) tradition that is part of the Wattah! Wattah! Festival 2024 commemorating the feast of the city's patron saint, St. John the Baptist.

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(Photos from Mayor Francis Zamora)

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora led the "basaan" parade through the streets of San Juan, together with city government officials and executives.

The parade symbolizes  the baptism of Jesus Christ by St. John the Baptist.

"Tradisyon naman talaga dito sa amin sa San Juan ang basaan, ngunit in the past few years ay naging medyo challenging. Nung 2020, 2021, 2022 may Covid nun, nung 2023 may El Niño naman. So parang every year merong challenge na nagiging hadlang sa ating selebrasyon. Ngunit sa taong ito ay tuloy tuloy po ang ating basaan. Meron lang tayong pagtitipid ng tubig ngunit tuloy na tuloy ang ating selebrasyon (The basaan has been a life-long tradition for us here in San Juan, but in previous years, this tradition had become challenging for us to celebrate. The Covid-19 pandemic happened in the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the El Niño phenomenon occurred, forcing us to postpone the water-dousing. This year, this tradition will be conducted once again even if there are limitations on our use of water)," Zamora said.

Aside from the "basaan" parade, the city's Santong Tao floats which were decorated to represent various stages of St. John the Baptist’s life, went around the city, together with a huge float carrying the image of the saint that blessed residents lined up along the route of the activity dubbed as Basbasan sa Makabagong San Juan.

Zamora earlier said the city will limit the use of water in the "basaan" parade to conserve water as the country's dams have yet to fully recover from the adverse effects of El Niño.

Only three fire trucks, out of the usual 50 firetrucks, were permitted to participate in the "basaan" parade. 

The festival's water-dousing proper was also allowed from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. only, ensuring that water usage is minimized.

“As we conduct our religious and cultural practices, we realize that we should also be sensitive to the plight of the rest of the country that recently experienced extreme heat,” Zamora explained.

A street dance competition was also held featuring performances from various barangays, showcasing their talent and cultural heritage.

"The Wattah! Wattah! Festival is a celebration of our city's rich history and vibrant community spirit. I encourage everyone to participate and enjoy the festivities. This is a moment to honor our traditions and look forward to a prosperous future together," the mayor noted.

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