OBANDO, BULACAN, Philippines — Swaying their hips to music again at the three-day festival here, the couples, who were finally blessed with children after joining the fertility dance, have ...

Devotees yesterday take part in a fertility dance during a religious festival in Obando, Philippines. bPhoto: Reuters “I’m here because I believe in what our elders say,” the 37-year-old teacher said.

There was dancing in the streets of Obando town in the Bulacan on Wednesday as people feted patron saints they believe bring spouses, fertility and good harvests.

Devotees in Obando, Bulacan, observed the town’s fertility rites this year with safety precautions such as social distancing amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

OBANDO, Bulacan – In the predominantly Catholic Philippines, many believe the answer to infertility lies in the church. A yearly dance ritual brings hundreds of hopeful couples to Obando, Bulacan.

The popular Obando fertility rite dates back to the 14th century, but it was converted into a Catholic festival by Spanish friars when Bulacan was Christianized.

A statue of the Virgin Mary is paraded during a religious fertility dance festival on May 17, 2017, in Obando, Bulacan, in the Philippines. Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters ...

Hundreds of couples flocked to a town in the northern Philippines to take part in a centuries-old ritual dance, honouring a patron saint believed to bring fertility. The ritual took place this ...

The Obando orational (fertility) dance has a few characteristics that set it apart in the pantheon of Philippine fiestas. The chief one being that it is not dedicated to one or two saints, but three.

The couples, who were finally blessed with children after joining the fertility dance, have returned to give thanks to Obando’s saints.

OBANDO, Philippines, May 18 (Reuters Life!) - Hundreds of couples flocked to a town in the northern Philippines to take part in a centuries-old ritual dance, honouring a patron saint believed to ...