The Peñafrancia Festival: Asia’s Biggest Marian Gathering

Every September, the city of Naga in the Philippines transforms into a sea of faith as millions of devotees, pilgrims, and visitors return home or travel from afar to honor Our Lady of Peñafrancia, lovingly called Ina (Mother) by Bicolanos.

For more than three centuries, this devotion has bound the community together, blossoming into what is now celebrated as Asia’s largest Marian festival.

The devotion traces its roots back to 1712, when Spanish priest Fr. Miguel Robles de Covarrubias brought to Naga a small replica of the Virgin of Peñafrancia from his hometown in Peña de Francia, Spain. As a seminarian, he had once fallen gravely ill and prayed for the Virgin’s intercession, promising to honor her if he were healed. When his prayer was answered, he kept his vow by enshrining her image along the banks of the Naga River, where miracles were soon reported. Locals grew deeply attached to the Virgin, affectionately calling her Ina, their spiritual mother, and from this seed of devotion the festival was born.

The Peñafrancia Festival officially begins in late August, opening with a burst of color, music, and community celebration. This year’s calendar brimmed with both sacred and cultural highlights: the glamorous Miss Bicolandia Pageant, the joyful Walk with Ina (Mother), Run for Creation, the spirited Peñafrancia Marathon, the bustling Bishop Francisco Gainza Trade Fair, the youthful energy of the Marian Youth Congress, and the festive Tagboan Music, Arts and Gastronomy Fest, among many others. These activities build momentum for the solemn religious rites that lie at the heart of the celebration.

The heart begins to beat louder on the second Friday of September with the Traslación. On this day, Naga’s streets become a moving tide of devotion as men pull the andas carrying the centuries-old image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia from the Basilica Minore to the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, the oldest church in the Bicol Region. Along the way, thousands of voices rise in unison, chanting “¡Viva la Virgen!” in a thunderous chorus of love and supplication. The Traslación marks the beginning of nine days of fervent novena prayers, uniting Bicolanos and pilgrims in a shared rhythm of faith and thanksgiving.

On the same day, another sacred image makes the journey: the Divino Rostro, the Holy Face of Jesus, brought to Naga by Spanish missionaries in the 1800s. Venerated alongside Ina, the Divino Rostro is likewise carried in a massive procession from the Peñafrancia Shrine to the cathedral, where it remains with the Virgin throughout the novenario.

Along the narrow roads where these processions pass, residents prepare days in advance. Cars are tucked into garages or pulled safely inside gates, since the sea of devotees surging through the thoroughfares can easily damage them. As the images draw near, the streets become a living corridor of devotion: makeshift altars appear, flowers are laid on windowsills, and families open their homes to pilgrims in need of food, water, or a place to rest.

To ensure safety amid the massive crowds, this year the Archdiocese of Caceres, the Naga City Government, and the Philippine National Police issued a joint policy regulating the use of drones during the Traslación and the Fluvial Procession. With more than a million devotees and pilgrims expected to line the streets and riverbanks, authorities stressed that restricting drone flights was necessary to avoid accidents and to keep the sacred images of Ina and the Divino Rostro secure as they make their solemn journey.

The celebration reaches its climax on the third Saturday of September with the world-renowned Fluvial Procession. The Divino Rostro sails ahead on a smaller vessel, while behind it a grand, flower-bedecked pagoda carries the revered image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Guided by thousands of voyadores who risk their safety to balance on the pagoda and pull its heavy ropes, the barge slowly glides down the Naga River. On the riverbanks, an immense crowd waves white handkerchiefs, prays the rosary, and shouts “Viva la Virgen! Viva el Divino Rostro!” in unison. As the images finally return to the Basilica Minore, fireworks light up the sky, and the air fills with incense, hymns, and tears of joy, a powerful testimony to a devotion that has endured for generations, making the Peñafrancia Festival not only a cultural treasure but also a profound expression of the Bicolano spirit and faith.

Naga City, located more than 200 kilometers southeast of Manila, is known as the “Pilgrimage City” of the Philippines, a spiritual heartland where faith and tradition converge each September.