Una reunion is the first chapter of Noli me Tangere.

It may be translated as "A Banquet" or "A Celebration" in

Chapter overview

In this chapter, Kapitan Tiyago, the gobernadorcillo of San Diego offered a food banquet which invited many
people from the town including parish priests, civil guards and lay people regardless of nationality. The novel
ended when Kapitan Tiyago entered the main hall and with another young man, attempting to introduce the latter.

APPEARANCES:

 Kapitan Tiyago
 Tiya Isabel
 Tenyente Guevara
 Padre Sibyla
 Padre Damaso
 Padre Salvi
 Senor Laruja
 Don Tiburcio de Espadaña
 Doña Victorina de Espadaña
 Minor characters

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Kapitan Tiyago hosted a flamboyant occasion announced throughout San Diego and nearby towns of Pasig and
Binundok (Binondo). Kapitan Tiyago's house was described as being in Daang Anloague (Anloague Street) near
one of the streaming rivulets of Pasig River called Binundok River. The news of such was like a thunder that
traveled all over–invited or not, everyone wanted to be at the party.

When the night came, the de los Santos house was full of gaiety. Visitors came from all over and were being
entertained by Kapitan Tiyago's cousin, Tiya Isabel. The hall room was full of portraits of Virgin Mary. Women
and men were separated into separate seating arrangements. Moreover, almost all of joy was in the circle of
Tenyente Guevara (lieutenant-general of the Guardia Civil), Padre Sibyla (the parish curate of Binundok), Padre
Damaso (former curate of San Diego), Padre Salvi (the present curate of San Diego), Senor Laruja and a Spanish
man with red hair.

While chatting, Padre Damaso mentioned the Indio[1] indolence and foolishness. The man with red hair
counteracted Padre Damaso's comment that it may be the Spanish people's supposition because the Spanish
authorities wanted to conceal their incapability with the colonial administration. Senor Laruja, on the other hand,
agreed with Padre Damaso. With the red man's comment, Padre Damaso began to think that all other people in
their circle began to be dubious with him, he narrated his twenty years of living in San Diego. He said that when
he came to San Diego, the townsfolk greeted him with marching band, flower festival, and plenty of food. When
he left San Diego, however, few people only bid goodbye to him–the hermano tercero [2] and few crying old ladies.
At this moment, Padre Damaso grew red in anger and punched his chair. He shouted, "Are the curates free of their
own will or not?" He also mentioned that a curate must be free if he ordered to dig up the corpse of a heretic to
dispose it from a Catholic cemetery. He also noted that even the King of Spain must not care if a curate do this.

Tenyente Guevara stood from his chair and retorted that the gobernador-heneral is the King's representative to the
Philippine Islands so he has the right to remove Padre Damaso from the parish and throw him to another town,
and that this was done because the former curate had the corpse of a noble removed from his grave while his only
son was in Europe.

After the debate, Padre Sibyla took the opportunity to pacify the two, so peace returned in the hall.

Other visitors came later, including the couple de Espadaña. Doña Victorina wore a European dress, which
Guevara accidentally stepped on. Victorina was angered, to which Guevara only replied that he was looking at her
curly hair.

Then Kapitan Tiyago came and introduced a certain fresh good-looking.

Narrator: On the last of October, Don Santiago de los Santos, popularly known as Capitan Tiago, gave a dinner at his
residence along Calle Anloague adjacentriver Binondo.

A cousin of Capitan Tiago, a sweet-faced old woman, who speaks Spanish quite badly, is the only one receiving the
ladies. To offer to the Spanish ladies a plate of cigars andbuyos, to extend her hand to her countrywomen to be kissed, exactly
as the friars do, — this is the sum of her courtesy, her policy. The poor old lady soon became bored, and taking advantage of
the noise of a plate breaking, rushed precipitately away and failed to reappear.

Among the guests were: the lieutenant of the civil guards, there was also Padre Sibyla- a youthful Dominican friar,
handsome, graceful and polished. He is the curate of Binondo and has been in former years a professor in the college of San
Juan de Letran. The Dominican says little, appearing to weigh his words. Quite in contrast, the other priest, Padre Damaso, a
Franciscan, talks much and gesticulates more. In spite of the fact that his hair is beginning to turn gray, he seems to be
preserving well his robust body, while his regular features, his rather disquieting glance, his wide jaws and herculean frame
give him the appearance of a Roman noble in disguise. . He is full of merriment, and if the tone of his voice is rough like that of
a man who has never had occasion to correct himself and who believes that whatever he says is holy and above
improvement. Meanwhile the other guest was a foreigner who had just arrived in the country. The said guest was asking about
the attitudes of the native Filipinos. He explained that he financed his own trip to familiarize the land of the Indios.

Padre Damaso: You’ll see, when you’ve been here a few months you’ll be convinced of what I say. It’s one thing to govern in
Madrid and another to live in the Philippines.
A great many of the Indios are ungrateful people! I spent almost twenty years of my life in the service of the town of San
Diego, but when I left the place, only a few came to see me off!
The Indios are stupidly careless! Foreigner: Be prudent, Padre Damaso, we are under the roof of an Indio.

Padre Sibyla: That’s right. Capitan Tiago might be offended. Narrator: Padre Damaso did not mind his listeners, and instead…

Padre Damaso: Hmp! Capitan Tiago has long considered himself a non-Indio. I repeat, none can surpass the Indios in
ignorance and stupidity!

Narrator: The lieutenant was about to disagree with Padre Damaso when…

Capitan Tiago: Gentlemen, I take pleasure in introducing you to the son of a dear friend who is now in the other life. Here is
Señor Crisostomo Ibarra! He has just returned from Europe.

Crisostomo: Gentlemen, it is a custom in Germany, when a stranger finds himself at a function and there is no one to introduce
him to those present, that he give his name and so introduce himself. Allow me to adopt
this usage here, not to introduce foreign customs when our own are so beautiful, but because I find myself driven to it by
necessity. I have already paid my respects to the skies and to the ladies of my native land; now I wish to greet its citizens, my
fellow- countrymen. Gentlemen, my name is Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin.
Oh my, this is Padre Damaso, the curate of San Diego, and my father’s bosom friend!

Narrator: Happily, the young man approached Padre Damaso. However…

Crisostomo: Please accept my apology. I must have made a mistake.

Padre Damaso: I am Padre Damaso, all right! But your father was no bosom friend of mine! Lieutenant: So you are the son of
the late Don Rafael Ibarra.

Crisostomo: At your service, Señor. Lieutenant: Your father was a virtuous man, señor. May the happiness that was denied
from him be yours.

Crisostomo: Thank you, señor.

Narrator: The guests had a sumptuous dinner. And when the hearty feast was over…

Señor Laruja: Señor Ibarra, in your almost seven years of travel in different countries, have you not forgotten your country?

Crisostomo: Señor Laruja, I may have been in Europe but all the while I had acted and thought like a true Filipino.

Doña Victorina: Is that so, hombre?

Crisostomo: Yes, Doña Victorina. My country may have forgotten me but I thought much about it in all my travels.

Lieutenant: In your opinion, which country in Europe impressed you most? Crisostomo: After learning the history of one
particular country, I eventually lost all my good impressions about it.

Narrator: Contemptously, Padre Damaso interfered in the conversation.

Padre Damaso: You’re a blind fool! Anybody could learn such trifles without having to go abroad and squander money!

Narrator: Instead of retorting, Ibarra gently rose from his seat.

Crisostomo: I’m sorry but I have to leave you all. I still have important business matters awaiting my immediate attention.

Capitan Tiago: Must you really go? Maria Clara will soon be here.

Crisostomo: I shall call tomorrow before I leave for San Diego, Capitan Tiago. Thank you for having me here. Farewell
everyone.

Padre Damaso: Sometimes. It’s a big mistake to send one’s child to Europe to study. He thinks highly of himself and beco mes
arrogant!