Of Saints and Hand-Carried Items

“Ay hijo, they did that to Mama Mary! Imagine this girl wanted to tie a “hilo” (I think that means a string) around Mama Mary’s neck?! Que barbaridad!”…

That was what Lola Mags had to say! I don’t remember now how we flowed on to this topic when I very well knew I was talking to about 5 of them my Lolas whose 'religiosity' go beyond the highest if highs! Yep, I have so many of them, don’t you?! All the amigas of my dear “mi abuela” also automatically become my Lolas. Same with yours, right?! Anyway…

Lola Mags (I refuse to call her by her nickname Magda) was telling her story and on that part she exclaimed as if somebody committed a heinous crime! “Que horror Magdalena, maybe these children do not anymore go to church” was the instigating addition of Lola True (I refuse to call her by her nickname Trudis for Gertrudes). And so I said “ano gusto nyo, magtawag sila ng carpentero para a hora mismo gumawa ng altar sa loob ng eroplano?!” I got a whack on the wrist with an “abanico” plus this “heh, pilosopo! Dapat nag-abogasya ka katulad ng ama mo, pilosopo”! Good someone else said “go get me more of this bread hijo and that mantequilla in cans (Queensland butter), this pancit blanca (white spaghetti) is good! So I went off while they were still busy on the topic and I could hear somebody mentioning her Sto. Nino in a similar version of the “que barbaridad” story hehehe! Whaaahehehe!

Now let’s pause a bit and ask you… what do you think?!

When I returned they were still on with the topic and I said they should have packed and checked the “santo” in. I got stern (but loving) glares from all of them along with sermons that the dear miraculous santo cannot be piled just like that with all the “cargamento” under the plane. How can I protest?! Another whack with the “abanico”?!

At the end of it all, I gathered the airline staff won (in this case they always will and they should, I insist). It appears the Mama Mary was placed somewhere at the galley because Lola Mags won’t even allow them to lay Her (the santo, I mean) lying flat inside the overhead bin! I know that santo, its always in her altar and she brings that to the provinces. It’s the Nuestra Senora De ‘Something’ and I think its about 3 feet tall. Gosh! And she insists she could carry that on her lap! I can imagine the commotion – especially that Lola Mags is some kind of a seniorized version of Annabelle Rama hehe!

Can you imagine a flight after the Sinulog? And what if them passengers carrying an image of the Sto Nino all insisted like Lola Mags did?! Haruuy Dios Mio! Unimaginable hehehe!

Anyway folks, in the Philippines, due to our culture, airline people who are mostly catholics anyway may/can find a way to make it a win-win situation. But please tell your grandfolks, it will not always be the case. For safety purposes, even a santo has to be stowed somewhere (preferably checked-in) because it can really pose a danger to passengers during emergencies. The material it is usually made of is hard, right? Its either wood or plaster of paris that is light yet still hard when intact. If it breaks, the shreds will also become added trouble for everyone in that plane.

And, if you don’t pack that Mama Mary well enough, surely the airline staff who will tag it needs to find a portion where she could wrap the string around. If she does that around the wrist, it might damage the rebulto since there are I think extensions or ornamentals made of either light metal or plastic (are those golden rays?). If she tries to tie the tag to the main body, the string would be too short. If she tries it at the crown, there is danger she might break that crown or the tag could get tangled so that it (and the crown) may get detached! Naturally, the neck will become a target hehe. No no, don’t even think of the sticker-type tags, those will chip the paint off! And as Lola Mags say “que barbaridad”!

In any case, whether intercepted at the gate or tagged at the check-in counter, an unpacked “rebulto” will be tagged with a ‘limited release tag’ and not a ‘security retrieved item’!

¡Oh Dios mío

Previous

Next