Despite Makati being a modern and highly-urbanized city, it has preserved a tradition that is passed on from generation to generation since the Spanish era - a tradition known as Bailes de los Arcos (Dance of the Arches) or Panatang Sayaw.
Bailes de los Arcos is performed on two consecutive feast days - The Feast of the patron saints Peter and Paul (June 29) and Virgen de la Rosa (June 30) at the plaza of Barangay Poblacion in front of the 17th-century church of Makati.
The dance ritual, which is performed for two hours, has three parts: the diccho or chanting of prayers by each dancer or "mananayaw";
trono or singing of prayers accompanied by the orchestra; and baile which means dance.
Two dances were performed, one with arcos (arches) and other one with castanets.
Nine maidens aged 14 years old and above are chosen to be trained as dancers. They must be devotees of Saints Peter and Paul and the Virgin Mary, and can sing high notes.
The most important qualification however, is to be in a state of virginity for the dance is an offering to the Virgen de la Rosa.
Their mothers, grandmothers, and even their grandmothers' mothers were once the virgin dancers.
Devotees strictly choose maidens who wish to be part of the dance.
The old folks of the Poblacion believe that a storm will happen on the day of the feast if one of the dancers lied about being a virgin.
Panata
Some of the dancers dance for several years because it is their "panata".
When a virgin dancer's wish has come true after the "Panatang Sayaw", she may leave the group if she wants to.
The longest-tenured dancer remaining becomes the Capitana or the leader.
The Panatang Sayaw tradition is preserved with the help of the 74-year old Erlinda Atilon-Reyes, a former mananayaw and Capitana. According to her, she taught the dance ritual she learned from her ancestors to the next batches of dancers.
Now that she is getting older and weaker, she still plays some roles in Bailes de los Arcos such as conducting the orchestra.
One of her nieces, Chikee, is this year's Capitana. She has been dancing for seven years.
Chikee has been wishing to earn her college degree at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and become a licensed Chemical Engineer. She's now an incoming 5th year student.
Just like the other dancers, her personal intentions compel her continue her devotion to the patron saints and the Virgin by being a mananayaw.
Witnessing the dance ritual
Enter gray skies. Eight girls dressed in blue and another girl dressed in pink sang songs of prayer and danced while at the center of the stage.
Ladies, young and old, sang simultaneously while watching the ritual. It's amazing that they still have memorized the song despite the long lyrics.
Light drizzles came intermittently but the show went on for two hours. There was no heavy rainfall. A few hours later, they continued to dance on the streets of Barangay Poblacion.
This ritual describes the Filipinos' religiousness and value for culture. Old beliefs are still observed even up to this age of modern technology.
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