The Giwang-Giwang Devotion in  Sta. Ursula Parish, Binangonan, Rizal: Understanding Religion from Below

Ferdinand Dagmang; Midielee Ditablan

doi:10.67641/mstr.v28i1.2026

The Giwang-Giwang Devotion in Sta. Ursula Parish, Binangonan, Rizal

Understanding Religion from Below

Authors

Ferdinand Dagmang Ateneo de Manila University / De La Salle University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7966-7788
Midielee Ditablan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.67641/mstr.v28i1.2026

Keywords:

Giwang-Giwang, Somatic Catholicism, Solidarity, Damay, Malasakit, Embodiment, Folk Religion

Abstract

This article investigates the celebration of Giwang-Giwang processional devotion during the Good Friday Prusisyon ng Paglilibing in Binangonan, Rizal, Philippnes. Through ethnographic field work, it documents the twelve-hour procession, the ritual involving thousands of predominantly male devotees intensely swaying the carroza (carriage) of the Santo Entierro (dead Jesus). It utilizes participant-observation to position the ethnographer within the moving mass, treating the body as an epistemological tool to capture the sensory-saturated ritual. The study integrates the conceptual frameworks of Filipino (Enriquez, Mercado, Ileto) and Western scholars (Mauss, Durkheim, Turner, Bourdieu) to provide both grounded and theoretically elevated insights. Findings reveal that through shared physical suffering, the mamamasan (bearers) transcend ordinary consciousness to experience divine grace (biyaya) and channel male energy into communal cooperation and solidarity. This characterizes their expression of a somatized spirituality. Ultimately, this ritual serves as an anchor for Binangonan’s local identity and collective memory.

Author Biographies

Ferdinand Dagmang, Ateneo de Manila University / De La Salle University

Ferdinand D. Dagmang is a Professorial Lecturer at Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and Maryhill School of Theology, Quezon City, Philippines. He earned his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, in 1991. His current research projects deal with Basic Ecclesial Communities, popular religion, ethics, sexuality, and the effects of structures/systems on theories and practices. Recently he published "Christian Vision for Doing Research for Publication or Why a Christian Vision Fuels Scholarship,” Teaching Theology & Religion, 2025; 0:1–11 https://doi.org/10.1111/teth.12689.

Midielee Ditablan

Midielee Ditablan holds a BS in Accountancy from the University of Santo Tomas and has worked in both the private and public sectors, including as an Administrative Officer II at the Department of Education – Division of Rizal. She was also actively involved in church ministry as a parish worker at Sta. Ursula Parish and as a temporarily professed member of the Third Order of Carmelites. She earned an MBA from the University of Rizal System and an MA in Theology major in Religious Studies from the Maryhill School of Theology. She is currently exploring career opportunities in Dubai, UAE and serving as a lector at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Dubai.