Thousands of single men and women joined a street parade in the Philippine town of Valenzuela to honor a Catholic saint. However, the tradition is also believed to help people find love matches.
The parade, which was held near Manila, started at the church named after Valenzuela's patron saint, Saint Roque. From there it continued for four kilometers along the city streets, with people dancing to music.
"If you need a husband, come here," Valenzuela's vice mayor Antonio Espiritu said.
PHOTO: AP
He said he and two of his assistants found their spouses after joining the parade.
The tradition includes single men pulling single women into the crowd to dance with them in the street, and unattached elderly women swaying to the music in the hope that Saint Roque will hear their prayer for a partner.
Other people join the parade yearly to give thanks for finding their partner.
Mariter Mena, a government official and Valenzuela resident, said an estimated 5,000 people joined this year's parade despite rains brought by a storm.
It is not clear why and when people began to see Saint Roque not only as a healer but also as the patron saint of the unmarried. "I'm 32, and ever since I can remember, people have been dancing in the streets to find their partner," Mena added. (AP)
數千位單身男女參加菲律賓瓦倫蘇拉鎮榮耀天主教聖徒的街頭遊行。不過，這項傳統也是促成人們找到愛侶的良機。
遊行在馬尼拉附近舉行，以瓦倫蘇拉守護聖徒「聖羅克」命名的教堂為起點，沿著城市街道綿延四公里長，群眾隨著音樂起舞。
瓦倫蘇拉副市長安東尼歐．埃斯彼瑞圖說；「假如你要找老公，就來這裡。」
他說他和兩位助理參加遊行後，都找到了另一半。
這個傳統包括：單身漢將未婚女子拉入街頭人群中跳舞；未婚的年長女性隨著音樂搖擺，希望聖羅克可以聽到她們尋覓另一半的祈求。
其他人則是為了答謝找到伴侶，參加這場年度遊行。
住在瓦倫蘇拉的官員瑪瑞提．梅娜表示，雖然刮風下雨，但估計約五千人參加今年的遊行。
人們將聖羅克視為醫治者與單身者守護聖徒的原因與起緣時間並不清楚。梅娜補充說：「我三十二歲，打從我有記憶開始，人們就在街頭跳舞尋找伴侶。」 （美聯社／翻譯：賴美君）
A: The 2025 World Masters Games will begin on May 17 and run until May 30. B: World Masters Games? A: It’s a quadrennial multi-sport event for people over 30, which will be jointly held by Taipei and New Taipei City. B: Cool, maybe we can go cheer for all the athletes from home and abroad. A: There will be an athletes’ parade in downtown Taipei prior to the opening ceremony on Saturday. Let’s go then. A: 2025雙北世界壯年運動會5月17日開幕，持續至5月30日閉幕。 B: 世壯運？ A: 這是四年一度、以30歲以上青壯年為主的運動會，本屆是由台北市和新北市共同舉辦。 B: 好酷喔，我們去幫來自國內外的選手們加油吧！ A: 週六在台北市區會有選手遊行，之後是開幕典禮，我們去看吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
A: Where will the 35 sports of the 2025 World Masters Games be held? B: Apart from Taipei and New Taipei City, some games will take place in Yilan County, Taoyuan County, and Hsinchu County and City. A: The news says about 25,000 people, including many celebrities and sports stars, have already registered for the games. B: Even Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who is 47, registered for softball and squash. New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi, who is 68, also registered for table tennis. A: And it will be the largest sports event ever in Taiwan’s history. How exciting. A:
After the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican’s papal conclave on May 8 elected a new leader for the Catholic Church. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, who chose to be called Leo XIV, became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. But what exactly does a pope do? Here is a rundown of his main responsibilities. CATHOLIC LEADER The word pope comes from the Greek “pappas,” meaning “father, patriarch,” which is why believers call him the Holy Father. He is considered the successor of St Peter, to whom Jesus Christ is said to have entrusted
Have you ever wondered who decides what we see in a museum or how one artwork seamlessly connects to the next? Behind every thoughtfully arranged gallery space stands a curator, a skilled professional who combines art and storytelling to craft meaningful experiences. The term “curator” originates from the Latin word cura, meaning “to care.” Curators were originally caretakers of museum collections, but over time, their role has grown to include a broad range of responsibilities that extend far beyond preservation. Today, curators manage, organize and interpret collections in cultural institutions like museums and libraries. They research, acquire and catalogue
RSS