Celebrating the Feast of Nuestra Señora la Virgen del Pilar

Every year, on October 12th, in the heart of Zamboanga City, also known as "Asia's Latin City", we glorify and celebrate the feast day of the patron saint of Zamboanga (Fiesta Pilar), filled with joyous and cheerful preparations from locals all around the city of Zamboanga. But some locals prefer to visit the Real Fuerte de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza (Royal Fort of Our Lady of the Pillar of Saragossa), for the shrine itself holds novena masses throughout the day.

On this beloved day, locals visit the Fort Pilar and pray to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, along with the people close to their lives: their families, friends, lovers, and/or acquaintances. The citizens of Zamboanga celebrate this day with prayers, holy mass, and their own celebration with their families, which makes this special day a holiday for all the citizens of Zamboanga.

On this specific day, tourists around the world (mostly Catholics) visit the fort Pilar to pay their respects, pray to the shrine, and appreciate the magnificent beauty of this shrine that lasted decades and even centuries in the hands of the Spaniards in the 17th century.

It was a military defense fortress built by the colonial government of Spain in Zamboanga City during its colonial government in the Philippines. And now, it still stands firmly in the hands of the citizens and locals of this astonishingly unique city.