Votive

Having climbed all the way to the shrine, I decided to dedicate a votive horse tablet.

Then they gathered some of the flowers of the season, crowned the statues with garlands and hung up Dorcon's pipe as a votive offering to the Nymphs.

"Nay, when thy vessels, ranged upon her shore, / rest from the deep, and on the beach ye light / the votive altars, and the gods adore, / veil then thy locks, with purple hood bedight, / and shroud thy visage from a foeman's sight, / lest hostile presence, 'mid the flames divine, / break in, and mar the omen and the rite."

Sculptured votive wreaths, six in all, are hung between the capitals of the columns and the spandrel of the arches.

"Macau-Macau!" exclaimed Michael, the Guǎngzhōu Man, when we were thinking about Tagalog and the Philippines, as we were sitting at Lulu Island's Tim Hortons café, after 10:00, June 15, 2025. "Malaki?" I wondered if he was referring to the word for "big." I asserted: "'Lalaki' is for a man or boy, a male. 'Babae' is for a woman or girl, a female." It was déjà vu: I remembered that conversation with him from years ago. I was explaining that Tagalog words for gender alluded to size or stature. To Michael, the Philippines seems like a big Macau, the Portuguese ex-colony in the PRC, except that the Philippines is ex-Spanish. After we talked more about other subjects, Michael had to leave to pick up his kids at Sunday ESL class at posh Aberdeen Centre. At the café, Alex, my Filipino friend, reminded me about Mass times: Well before 15:00, I ventured walking in the blue-sky sunshine to the "Clam Temple," the Roman Catholic church on St. Albans Road. In the great worship hall, there were just a Filipina nun in her nun outfit and two women church co-workers at the front. I was sitting way back. Feeling the void was all that was necessary, except that one of the ladies started using a handheld vacuum cleaner to clean underneath the votive candle stands, where some candles were lit. I exited to the nice sunshine, as I sat on a bench. I'm Buddhoanimist as many Asians. The "Clam Temple" is a good ersatz for me. It was likely my 44th visit this year for me there. Ah, the void...

She placed a votive offering at the shrine.

embellishments of flowers and votive garlands

We reached a votive stone, that bears the name / Of Aloys Reding.

The church was lit by votive candles.