Rizal: a Hero's Remembering
June 19, 2013. For some, it may just be an ordinary day, but to a town rich in culture and tradition, it is a celebration of a hero.
One hundred fifty-two years ago, the Mercado family from the town of Calamba welcomed a baby boy as their seventh child. At present time, the name Jose Rizal was not only a name of an ordinary citizen but a name of a somewhat ordinary man who has done extraordinary things for his family, and of mostly for his country.
As far as tradition goes, the city of Calamba celebrates the birth of our national hero through a week-long celebration. Now I wouldn’t really be telling you a narrative of what happened because I for one wasn’t able to attend any of it. Instead I will humbly express my opinion on how a town celebrates a hero.
Last year, the celebration included an early morning wreath-laying ceremonies held at the Rizal Monument Shrine on Independence Day followed by a parade. Public and private offices and various civic organizations pay tribute to the hero who has used his intellect and his visions as a deadly double-edged sword to fight back those who have desperately tried to make us a nation of strangers.
This year as well as last, citizens of the town were encouraged to join contests such as a Rizal Leadership Forum, a Letter Writing Contest, an On-the-Spot Painting Contest, a Rizal Flash Animation Contest, a Rizal Comic Strip Contest, and a Saranggola ni Pepe contest.
Well the list might seem the typical sorts; writing letters to Rizal as if he was still alive, attending a leadership forum with Rizal’s principle and ideologies as its foundation, a painting contest to portray heroism and/or change, or even a Flash Animation Contest for a modern twist and a Comic Strip for a classic taste of memory.
At the end of the day, will any of these really matter? How would you really know if those people who remember, understands too? Will any of those letters really be of significance if the person addressed is not alive anymore?
One hundred fifty-two years ago, the Mercado family from the town of Calamba welcomed a baby boy as their seventh child. At present time, the name Jose Rizal was not only a name of an ordinary citizen but a name of a somewhat ordinary man who has done extraordinary things for his family, and of mostly for his country.
As far as tradition goes, the city of Calamba celebrates the birth of our national hero through a week-long celebration. Now I wouldn’t really be telling you a narrative of what happened because I for one wasn’t able to attend any of it. Instead I will humbly express my opinion on how a town celebrates a hero.
Last year, the celebration included an early morning wreath-laying ceremonies held at the Rizal Monument Shrine on Independence Day followed by a parade. Public and private offices and various civic organizations pay tribute to the hero who has used his intellect and his visions as a deadly double-edged sword to fight back those who have desperately tried to make us a nation of strangers.
This year as well as last, citizens of the town were encouraged to join contests such as a Rizal Leadership Forum, a Letter Writing Contest, an On-the-Spot Painting Contest, a Rizal Flash Animation Contest, a Rizal Comic Strip Contest, and a Saranggola ni Pepe contest.
Well the list might seem the typical sorts; writing letters to Rizal as if he was still alive, attending a leadership forum with Rizal’s principle and ideologies as its foundation, a painting contest to portray heroism and/or change, or even a Flash Animation Contest for a modern twist and a Comic Strip for a classic taste of memory.
At the end of the day, will any of these really matter? How would you really know if those people who remember, understands too? Will any of those letters really be of significance if the person addressed is not alive anymore?