HOMONHON LANDING
March 16
Southeastern Samar
Homonhon, Eastern Samar- Reenactment of the discovery of the Philippines in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan.
Finally, on March 16, the activities will start with the offering of the Holy Mass and will be followed by a re-enactment of Magellan Landing and the commemorative program.
Eastern Samar had been a significant backdrop of the country’s rich colonial history through the island of Homonhon, where Ferdinand Magellan first set foot on Philippine soil in 1521 on his way to conquer the Philippines for the western world.
In his account, Pigafetta, the chronicler aboard Magellan’s ship, describes the island of Humumu, now Homonhon, as so: "We found two fountains of very clear water, we called it the `Waters of Good Signs,’ having found the first sign of gold in the said island. There also can be found much white coral and tall trees that bear fruits smaller than an almond and look like pines. There were also many palm trees, some of the good kind, some of the bad. Thereabouts are many neighboring islands. Hence, we called them the St. Lazarus Archipelago because we stayed there on the day and feast of St. Lazarus."
