Home for the Holidays (Part 5): La Union's Luna and Bangar - More Historical "Finds"

- Dec. 31, 2023-Jan. 1, 2023, Sunday to Monday.

- As usual, I couldn't sit still in the province, and so I spent my New Year's Eve up and about. My first agenda was to visit Bato de Luna. It is a stone's throw away (see what I did there) from Bahay na Bato (see here), and is also another place that has a lot of stone art. Unlike Bahay na Bato, this place appears more playful, and has more tributes to Korean culture, as its artist Mr. Bong Kim is Korean. He was the same artist who did Bahay na Bato.

- Albeit a smaller property, I still enjoyed my visit as I was able to play around more with the art work around the area. I also liked the fact that there were less people around, since it was New Year's Eve. 

I like this place too!

Giant turtle.

Inside the turtle!

Sitting on a giant Korean Hahoetal mask.

Giant animals.

I have big shoes to fill!

I find this place cozy.

Pretending I know how to wall climb.

I have a giant mouth.

Mrs. Puff?

Three of me is three times better!

- I also fancied talking a stroll at Luna's center, just to visit the church and the municipal hall as I found them interesting through the several times that I've passed by them in the car. I didn't realize they were more intriguing than I thought they were, mainly because of their historical backgrounds and significance. First I passed by the Church of Santa Catalina de Alejandria, which is also known as Namacpacan Church. It was built in 1690. The statue of "Our Lady of Namacpacan" from the 1800s, still intact after centuries, has been known for its miraculous properties.

General Antonio Luna in the town of Luna. The town was named after the Luna family, not just Antonio Luna.

Before he town was called Luna, it was called Namacpacan, Hence, the name "Napacpacan Church."

Inside the church.

A devotee prays to Our Lady of Namacpacan.

The well is said to have miraculous properties as well. I wouldn't really know.

 

- Across the church is the town hall, built in the 1900s. The hall is visibly old because it this unique balcony where announcements used to be done. The flagpole in front of the hall is equally historical, being erected in the 1940s.

Municipal hall.

Another Rizal statue.

- Finally, I visited another church, this time in Bangar. The Bangar Church or Church of Saint Christopher was built in the 1689. It was eerily dark when I visited, but that was will enough for me to see the interior. I have also seen it a couple of times before, but I guess it was only this time that I'm seeing it "with the intention of seeing it."

Bangar Church, also in Earthquake Baroque style.

Inside the church.

- That was the last touristy thing I did in La Union, yet not the last significant thing that happened. So while preparing for our New Year's Eve meal, this butterfly came from nowhere and landed on a container that my parents used during their engagement. The butterfly flew from spot to spot before landing beside this container. It didn't move for hours until we finished our meal. Whether you believe in this sort of thing or not, we thought this * might * be my mom visiting the family and our close employees during New Year's Eve. Whatever it is, it did make our meal more special. 

The butterfly.

The red container that my parents used during their engagement many years back.

New Year's Eve.

Happy new year!!

It was nice to see a reasonable amount of fireworks. (Not enough to make me deaf.)

- We came back to Manila on January 1, just to beat the traffic. True enough we arrived in record time, as compared to last year when everyone had a mass exodus back to NCR after spending the holidays elsewhere. As tired as I have been since I arrived, I am in high spirits after being able to spend some time in the province and take time to process things and breathe from the crazy year that was last year. As cliche as it sounds, I am hoping for a better year ahead, and I hope that it will be good to everyone else as well!