A Guide to Rizal Day
This December 30, Philippines commemorates the 120th death anniversary of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
December 30 is a public holiday in the Philippines. Not only that, because this day symbolizes something that is part of the nation’s history—the death of Dr. Jose Rizal.
As the Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda, is a great contribution as to how the country got its freedom. Every 30th of December, there is a simple event which commemorates the martyrdom that Dr. Jose Rizal did in that date, year 1896.
It was in December 30 when Dr. Jose Rizal was shot by a firing squad in Bagumbayan when “he was convicted of rebellion, sedition, and of forming illegal association.” He died exactly 7:03 in the morning, and his last words were “Consummatum est,” meaning “it is finished.”
One of the events that happen during Rizal Day is the raising of Philippine flag and wreath-laying ceremonies at the Luneta Park, Rizal Shrine in Calamba (where Jose Rizal is born), and in Zamboanga and Rizal Monument in Baguio City.
To further understand Dr. Jose Rizal’s contribution to Philippine freedom, check out these films, documentaries, and TV series:
- Jose Rizal (1998); directed by Marilou Diaz- Abaya (film)
- Bayaning Third World (1999); directed by Mike de Leon (film)
- Jose Rizal: The First Hero (2012); directed by Paolo Abella (documentary)
- Ilustrado (2014); directed by King Mark Baco (TV series)
Source: National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Jose Rizal website
