We’ve finally arrived in the middle of 2023! June celebrates many things, such as the country’s independence and Pride for out LGBTQ+ fellowmen.
Of course, we can’t forget the festivals! Here are the best agri-related festivals to be.
Pinyasan Festival | Daet, Camarines Norte
After days of festivities, the Pinyasan Festival invites celebrities to join the fun and provide entertainment to both locals and tourists. (Daet Municipal Tourism Office / Facebook)
Taste the sweetest pineapples at this Daet festival! The Pinyasan Festival highlights its primary agri-product, the Queen Formosa pineapple, and celebrates the farmers and producers of this crop. The pineapples of Daet have a unique sweetness and do not cause itchiness as easily as other varieties.
It was first held in 1993, and now celebrates its 30th year this 2023. The ten-day festival is filled with activities such as a street dancing competition, a float parade with pineapples as the main design, pineapple foodfests, and a beauty pageant. The festival has also evolved to include activities such as a battle of the bands and concerts.
Lechonan sa Baroy | Baroy, Lanao del Norte
Lechon is a way to celebrate the town’s harvest and each one is decorated creatively by the barangays of Baroy. (Discover Lanao del Norte PH / Facebook)
This festival is a celebration for a bountiful harvest, and it’s celebrated with a big, fat lechon! Unknown to many, Baroy is the home of great lechoneros in Lanao del Norte.
Each of the 23 barangays of Baroy prepare one lechon and decorate it to be festive, creative, and colorful. The lechon are then paraded and brought to the town plaza for everyone to appreciate—and eat!
The festival also includes fairground rides, and various entertainment shows for the locals and tourists.
Pinangat Festival | Camalig, Albay
One of the annual activities of the Pinangat Festival is the crowning of the Mutya ng Camalig. (Sangguniang Bayan ng Camalig / Facebook)
The Pinangat Festival is one of the major festivals of Albay, but was unfortunately halted by the Covid-19 virus. But, the good news is, after a three-year break, the festival is back!
First established in 2000, this festival not only celebrates its local delicacy, pinangat, but it also coincides with the Camalig Town Fiesta held in the honor of St. John the Baptist, the town’s patron saint.
This annual celebration gives tribute to its people, celebrates life and unifies the best elements of Camalig’s pride, giving the entire fiesta a unique municipal flavor through holding of special events, activities and nightly entertainment programs for participation and enjoyment of the public.
Festivities include events such as Pinangat-Making Race, Longest Line of Pinangat Eating, Mutya ng Camalig, “Camalig Kulinarya”, trade fairs, battle of the bands, enduro cross competition, fun bike and MTB race, and parades and processions
Pili Festival | Sorsogon City, Sorsogon
The fruit festival is joyously welcomed with a parade of street dancers and locals representing different communities of the town. (Public Information Office- Sorsogon City / Facebook)
Sorsogon celebrates the bountiful harvest of one of its star agri-products through the Pili Festival. The Pili Festival is both an agricultural and religious festival held in the honor of the town’s patron saints, St. Peter and St. Paul.
The festival is welcomed through prayers that begin on June 20 and the last novena prayers are heard on June 28. A pontifical, concelebrated mass is held the next day. All the religious events take place at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The more boisterous events of the festival are sports competitions, cultural shows, outreach programs, street dancing, parades, trade fair, talent competitions, cook fest, music events, and beauty pageants
One of their activities is “Pagtilad,” which is the act of cracking open the pili nut. The fruit is placed on a wooden board and it is opened with a strike of a bolo on its shell with such precision to preserve the kernel within. Another is “Tiliradan sa Dalan” which is a community event joined by everyone. In 2004, it recorded the longest line of people cracking pili nuts with 10,000 people joining the activity.
Parada ng Lechon | Balayan, Batangas
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A family is happily equipped with water guns for the festival’s ‘basaan’ while having a lechon right behind them. (Municipality of Balayan / Official Gov Website)
Another town celebrating lechon is Balayan, and it’s even considered the king of festivals in Batangas!
Parada ng Lechon is a cultural, food, and religious festival held during the feast of St. John the Baptist. Locals believe that the parade is an age-old ritual of thanksgiving by their ancestral families who were blessed enough to make the dish. For the residents, lechon is not just a delicious meal but is also an expression of thanks and a way to pay homage to their patron saint.
The parade of lechon occurs in the morning of the feast day. Lechon that are part of the parade are assembled before the church where they are given a blessing by the priest. Once blessed, the parade starts, and the lechon are either carried on floats or by the people themselves.
At this festival no one can escape “basaan” or the act of water being thrown by anyone at anyone. People on the streets are equipped with buckets of water, some even have water guns, to playfully spray and throw water at others.
Other activities of the festival are competitions in sports, singing, dancing, and other talents. There are also concerts featuring live bands and musical acts, a fireworks display; variety and cultural shows; street dancing; and beauty pageant.
Despite some festivals celebrating similar products, it’s guaranteed that each festival offers a unique experience. So don’t hesitate to travel and indulge in the festivities that each town has to offer, and see for yourself why these agricultural products are the pride of the province.