Devotees attend the 9th Day Novena mass for the Fiesta Pilar celebration of the city. The annual celebration takes place every 12th of October in honor of the miraculous Nuestra Señora La Virgen del Pilar. It is said that during the Spanish era; Philippines, Zamboanga being part of the integral colonization wherein the city was held as a seat of the Spanish Government and deeply rooted with cultural Hispanic heritage and tradition. In mid 1600s a fort was built to protect the city from moro attacks, according to legends, the Virgen del Pilar was said to have protected the local residents from miracles and aparitions at the fort.