One of the main boats that participated in the Marian fluvial procession

Puerto Galera in Mindoro Oriental is known especially for its wonderful white sand beaches and world class dive sites. But if you’re in the area or plan to be there around the second week of May, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated with a fluvial procession!

It’s a break from the usual festivals as, after the morning mass at the church, colorfully decorated boats of different sizes dock at the Muelle port and await the image of the Our Lady of Fatima. After blessed by the priest, the band plays in one of the boats and the fluvial procession starts.

Decorated with banners and buntings and floral decors made from crepe paper, the fluvial procession is a colorful sight as boats, from the big passenger ones that travel between Batangas and Puerto Galera to smaller ones used for either tourists and fishing mass up and go around the bay.

The best thing? It’s experiencing another kind, the religious, facet of Puerto Galera and one of the best way to tour the bay for free!

The sight of the marian fluvial procession

Participating boats festooned with festive banners and buntings

A priest blesses the image and the main boat in the Marian fluvial procession

The image of the Our Lady of Fatima leads the fluvial procession along Puerto Galera Bay

Another outrigger boat with a marian image and floral decor

A motorized outrigger boat bedecked with flowers and an image of St. Anthony of Padua