TAONG PUTIK (MUD MAN) FESTIVAL IN NUEVA ECIJA

ALIAGA, NUEVA ECIJA, PHILIPPINES — Although not as festive as other festivals in the country, the oddity of “pagsa-San Juan” makes Taong Putik Festival interesting enough. The solemn tradition is held every 24th dawn of June in Brgy. Bibiclat in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija in honor of their patron saint, St. John the Baptist.

Source:  http://www.traveltothephilippines.info/2012/12/05/witness-and-be-amazed-at-the-nueva-ecija-taong-putik-mud-man-festival/

WHAT IS A TAONG PUTIK?

Taong Putik, literally means “mud person”. As early as 4:00 am every June 24, the villagers of Brgy. Bibiclat in Aliaga (Nueva Ecija, Philippines) would flock the rice paddies to coat themselves with thin mud, green vines and dry banana leaves before walking to the church, and begging for candles (or money to buy them) along the way. Through this process, they’d become a taong putik. It might look creepy, but it is actually an interesting religious practice.

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Early morning on the day of June 24, residents are covered with mud and dressed with dried banana or coconut leaves and vines. Men, women and even children are joining this festival. They go from a house to another to ask for candles or even money to buy candles. If rejected, they will wipe mud on the face of person who doesn’t give anything. After collecting candles from different houses, participants gather around the plaza and light the candles. They will offer prayers for thanksgiving and show their gratefulness on the blessing bestowed by their patron Saint John the Baptist. This is followed by an outdoor mass to bless the day of the festival. - http://www.traveltothephilippines.info/2012/12/05/witness-and-be-amazed-at-the-nueva-ecija-taong-putik-mud-man-festival/

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Nobody knows exactly when the Taong Putik Festival started. One legend says the image of the patron saint which was brought to Bibiclat by early Ilocano settlers, helped in driving away poisonous snakes from the village. The name "Bibiclat" came from the Ilocano word "biclat" meaning snake.  Another legend says that when Japanese soldiers during World War II were about to execute all the men in the village in retaliation for the death of 13 fellow soldiers, it rained so hard that the male villagers had to be herded into the church to seek shelter. After a while, the Japanese soldiers had a change of mind and set their captives free. The residents attributed this to a miracle of Saint John the Baptist, and  vowed to pay homage to him on his feast day by wearing costumes patterned after his attire -- this time, using native materials.  - http://monvalmonte.com/nuevaecijajournal/taongputik/index.html

HALAMANAN FESTIVAL IN BULACAN

 

Source: http://www.traveltothephilippines.info/2012/08/01/the-halamanan-festival-in-bulacan-is-a-celebration-of-plants-flowers-and-trees/

The Halamanan Festival is celebrated in Guiginto, Bulacan every 23rd of January to celerate their love of plants, flowers and trees, which provide them a means of livelihood.

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The town of Guiguinto is well-known for its plant nurseries, which provide people with a unique livelihood much appreciated not just throughout the province but also by citydwellers who yearn for their spot of greenery. The townsfolk thus celebrate the Halamanan festival in January to coincide with the feast of its town patron San Ildefonso. Simulating their own Garden of Eden, and manifesting a twin devotion to Sta Rita de Casia, the students from Felizardo C. Lipana Memorial High School and Tuktukan Elementary School, as supported by DepED and their honorable mayor Isagani Pascual,  simulate the movement of plants as they depict the propagation, growth, and nourishment of their natural flora. – cbdpedicab.com

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WAGAYWAY FESTIVAL IN CAVITE

 

Photo from:   housewifeatwork.blogspot.com

The newest Philippine festival with a historical twist unfolded in Cavite, the country’s seat of independence.  In time for the Independence Day, the town of Imus in Cavite,  commemorates every May 24th the victory of the Battle of Alapan that  paved way to the first Philippine Republic when the Philippine Flag was  first unfurled on May 28, 1898. Imus, dubbed as the country’s flag capital,  celebrate the Wagayway Festival every May 24th-28th as a commencement of Kalayaan 2008.

Photo from:  freeimagefinder.com

The festival’s name “Wagayway” is a Filipino term that means wave,  display or unfurl something that is folded such as a flag or banner. Wagayway Festival hopes to recognize National Flag Day and Imus as a  new tourist destination with the same caliber as Cebu’s Sinulog  Festival, Bacolod’s Masskara Festival and the like.

Photo from:  masterbetong.net

Contrary to public beliefs, it was after the victory of the Battle of Alapan when then President Emilio Aguinaldo first waved the flag made  by Marcela Agoncilio. Aguinaldo again unfurled the same flag in nearby town of Kawit on  June 12 of the same year along with the declaration of Philippine  independence.

Photo from:  flickr.com/photos/33595622@N06/3575252164/

It is hoped that the country’s newest festival  will establish the town’s identity as a historical place. The festival should push Filipinos to be more patriotic to the flag.  Unlike other festivals which are religious in nature, this is a  festival with historical and nationalistic theme.

 

Photo from:  freeimagefinder.com

The event will also highlight the bravery and patriotism of the revolutionaries against the Spanish forces. The festival will be celebrated  highlighting the bravery and patriotism of the revolutionaries who won  the Battle of Alapan despite tremendous odds.

Photo from:  imuscdao.blogspot.com

Source:  bethgozar.weebly.com

 

Photo from:  cavite.gov.ph

Photo from:  pinoyexchange.com

Photo from:  imuscdao.blogspot.com

Traveling to Cavite

Major flights from all over the world arrive daily at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).  From there, various land transportation facilities are available like taxi cabs, rent-a-car, and buses going to Cavite.

 

 

APUNG IRU FESTIVAL IN PAMPANGA

Apung Iru stands for the holy image of St. Peter, which is brought to its shrine in a fluvial procession. Carried in its "pagoda" amidst prayers, religious songs and water-fighting revelers. It is highlighted with a fluvial parade down the Pampanga River. It's another unique custom in this tradition-filled country.

Photo from:  pinoyphotography.org

Celebrated every June 27-29 of every year, the feast of St. Peter is observed with a fluvial parade with gaily decorated motorboats and colorful bancas roving up and down the Pampanga River. The image of St. Peter, called Apung Iru by the locals, is carried through town to the river, where a lavish decorated pagoda mounted on a barge awaits. The image is placed on the pagoda and devotees dance and pray before it. The 3-day celebration honoring Apung Iru starts on June 27 and culminates on June 29 when the image is brought back to its shrine at Capalanagan.

Photo from:  traveltothephilippines.info

The feast day of St Peter is celebrated in a joyous fiesta at Apalit, Pampanga on June 28-30. Apung Iru, as the locals call St. Peter, is celebrated and venerated by devotees in a colorful procession that is the Apung Iru Fluvial Parade.

Photo from: pinoyphotography.org

On the 28^th, the blessed image of Apung Iru is brought to the Apalit Parish Church, carried and paraded in a decorated pagoda or float, from its sanctuary in Capalangan. During the procession, religious songs, hymns and prayers are chanted by devotees as the pagoda floats along the Pampanga River. On the last day of the feast (June 30), the image is brought back to its shrine in Capalangan in another beautiful fluvial parade.

Photo from:  seasite.niu.edu

Thousands of spectators line up along the riverbanks splashing water and waving flowers as the pagoda carrying the image of Apung Iru passes by, which is also accompanied by hundreds of boats behind it.

Photo from: traveltothephilippines.info

Dancing, called Kuraldal by the locals and singing is most welcomed in this celebration as devotees and the locals celebrate another fruitful year. Other must sees during the feast are the trade fair, pageants and cultural shows dedicated to the event.

Pintaflores Festival in Negros Occidental

The Pintaflores Festival, a festivity that combines the beauty of flowers and the masculine-likeness of tattoos, has been a less-visited but visually-appealing festival in the Negros Island.

The festival is a confluence of a famous festival in San Carlos City: the Nabingkalan Tattoo Festival, and its highlight, the Dances of Flowers. From the two concepts, Pintaflores officially became the city's official festival in 1992.

The dances are dramas of life and death and the triumph of good against evil. These themes are thanksgiving praises to the city's patron saint, San Carlos Borromeo.

Dancers with colorful flowers drawn artistically over faces, arms, bodies, and legs and dressed in ethnic-styled ensembles perform a dance ritual that usually shows a human flower formation.

"Pintaflores is coined from the words Pintados, the concept behind the Nabingkalan Tattoo Festival, and the "flores", the Spanish word for flowers that dominated the theme of the Dances of Flowers," the site stated.

Tattoos are believed to have been sketched on the skin of locals in pre-colonial Visayas--and its tribal allure has since been the core subject of the festival in San Carlos.