The fiesta of Tanjay every July 25 commemorates the life and times of Senor Santiago, also known as St. James, the Greater.
Writings recount the apparition of a fiery knight on a white horse, Senor Santiago, during an armed conflict with invading Moors, which turned the tide in favor of Spain in 711 A.D.
James the Greater was one of Jesus’ closest friends; may have been Jesus’ cousin. He is called “the Greater”, an Apostle before Saint James the Lesser.
After the resurrection, he commenced his own ministry, first over Israel, then over the Roman Empire. Later, he traveled to the Iberian Peninsula, arriving about 40 years after Christ, in the village of Saragosa, in Northeastern Spain.
The name James is “San Iago” in Spanish. The country of his choice did not react very enthusiastically to the Good News, until the Blessed Virgin appeared to James in a vision, carried by the angels, holding pillar and a small wooden statue of herself. She gave these items to James, requesting that a church be built on the same spot, and the items she gave him were to be used on the altar. He built a small chapel for her, which later was replaced with the Basilica on the same spot. In the vision she also recalled him to Jerusalem. So after the chapel was completed, he returned to Jerusalem where he was martyred by Herod in 44 AD.
Because he was denied burial after his martyrdom, his remains were taken to Compostela, Spain, by his followers. Centuries later the Moors forced their way into Ibiza and took over the entire peninsula in 711. It was about this period that the tale of his apparition took place.
In the ninth century, rumors spread that the tomb of James, the Apostle, was in Northern Spain. It was Charles The Great who conquered the grave of the “unbeliever” and demanded large pilgrimages to Compostela. A chapel was built above James’ remains, later a new and much larger Church was built. This Church was consecrated in 889 and remained standing for nearly a century when in 997, the Moors burned it down.
St. James’ tomb became the centre of the small town, Santiago de Compostela. Flavia, Bishop of Iria, took up his holiday residence there, which provided advantageous to Compostela. Then a new cathedral was built, blessed in 1211, the Cathedral of Santiago still stands today. It was declared a shrine in the 16th century by Pope Leo.
The statue of Senor Santiago is the centerpiece of the Tanjay church, and signifies the devotion to the Christian faith by all its believers. Christianity was brought by the Spaniards to our shores.
So Tanjay celebrates its annual feast day with Sinulog, dancing, merry- making, with some form of Spanish influence, mixed with the exuberant native tradition of saying prayers through dance and songs.
The fiesta is a form of thanksgiving for blessings received, and an expression of communal aspiration for a better future.
VIVA, SENOR SANTIAGO!
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Author’s email: whelmayap@yahoo.com
