Feast of the Ascension at Villa Escudero

Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort, the country’s premier Filipino-themed resort located in San Pablo City, celebrates the Feast of the Ascension in a colorful and elaborate religious ritual today.

Known locally as the Pista ng Pag-akyat, the feast is one of the most glorious but lesser known feasts of the Roman Catholic Church marking the ascent into heaven of the Lord Jesus Christ 40 days after His resurrection.

The celebration starts with a High Mass at the Villa Escudero chapel at 9 a.m. to be officiated by select priests and bishops.

The UST Symphony Orchestra, along with the Coro Tomasino and the Liturgikon Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Prof. Hermie Ranera, will perform sacred music, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Missa Brevis in C, in celebration of the classical composer’s 250th birth anniversary.

After the Mass, the image of the Risen Christ will be taken on a procession around the resort leading to the Labasin River where a fluvial procession then takes place.

The guests and resort’s staff gaily dressed in rural fiesta attire will join the procession as the UST Symphony Band provides Southern Tagalog fiesta music.

The ritual concludes with the enthronement of the Risen Christ at the pavilion with the rendition of the traditional bati or Easter liturgical dance.