ILOILO CITY — For the second year in a row, COVID-19’s continuing threat has scaled down the February 2 feast of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of Candles) or the patronnes saint of Western Visayas region.

The devotees who flocked Wednesday to the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral were mostly outside to attend the mass and pray at the grotto.

Prior to COVID-19 pandemic of March 2020, thousands of devotees from Iloilo City as well as the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental used to make the pilgrimage every February 2.

Nonetheless, devotees came to pay homage to the country’s only image of the Virgin Mary to have been canonically crowned by a pope, who later became Saint John Paul II.

For Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo, the feast of Our Lady of Candles gives hope and light amidst the tough times. There’s the fast-spreading Omicron variant, various natural disasters and the political diverseness for the upcoming May 2022 national and local elections.

Similar to last year, the Jaro Fiesta had limited activities. No devotees were allowed to climb and touch the image of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria as well as the afternoon procession of religious images were scrapped.

The Jaro Fiesta is supposed to be the biggest fiesta in Western Visayas region. But there were no major non-religious activities this year. In previous years, there was the carnival, the multi-million cock derby contest and the crowning of fiesta queen.