St. John The Baptist Day
My childhood memories always bring happiness and joy. I often recall with vividness my childhood days in the island where I grew, and they never fail to enliven my days.
I enjoyed picnics by the sea and excursions to nearby islets. Oh what a magnificent view to see the pristine white sand beaches of Sambawan Islands and its crystal clear water teeming with all colorful varieties of fauna!
In my childhood days I always waited with much expectations these happy days in my life: St. John The Baptist Day, Christmas Day, and New year’s Day. The latter two for exchanging gifts and making resolutions in life, but the former is for swimming and frolicking in the sea and eating delicious food. It’s a whole day affair.
Every 24th of June, from dawn until dusk, all people celebrate the St. John The Baptist Day on beaches all around the island. People prepared lot of delicacies, and I always recall this day vicariously. I can still smell the broiled fish and still feel the taste of sweet potatoes and other tubers freshly harvested from the farms and cooked into delicacies that are only known in the island.
When I stayed in Manila to pursue my college studies, I noticed the big contrast on how the 24th of June is celebrated. People in Manila also celebrate it with zest, but more get mad because of dirty water from ditches being sprayed on them. And not only dirty, but smelly too, like those coming from septic tanks.
I pitied the ladies employed at the high rise buildings at the business center in Makati. Their umbrellas are not assurance that their beautiful office uniforms will not be mired with stinking water and mud from canals along the streets. And these rascals do it without any scruple at all. Not even being sorry of the inconvenience done to people who are on their way to work.