BY EARVIN SALANGSANG

Filipinos are known for their love of festivities, and the people who ensure a joyful start to the year are the residents of Minalin, my beloved town in Pampanga. Minaleños celebrate the Aguman Sanduk Festival every New Year's Day.

All barangays participate, designing themed floats that are paraded through the town's streets, accompanied by men performing street dances. In a unique and fascinating twist, these men dress as women, wearing their grandmothers' saya or duster, colorful gowns, and even bikinis, complete with exaggerated makeup and hairpieces, drawing laughter and cheers from onlookers.

Aguman Sanduk, which literally means "fellowship of the ladle," has various origin stories, all tracing back to a group of men who, while cooking lelut manuk, decided to cheer up their women by cross-dressing and acting silly.

The festival has been celebrated annually for 92 years, culminating in the crowning of the queen who receives the most cheers. While its true message is open to interpretation, as a yearly observer of this festival, I believe it's a creative and effective way to honor women and bring smiles to their faces, especially after their exhausting duties during the holidays.

This year's theme, "Grasya Ning Danuman, Keka Tamung Pag-selebran" (Celebrating the Graces of the Waters), embodies the town's spirit and gratitude. Perennially prone to flooding due to its location within a network of rivers, Minalin's residents have remarkably adapted and evolved.

The very waters that bring annual calamities have also blessed the town with abundant freshwater resources. Due to regular flooding and limited irrigation access, former rice fields have been converted to fish ponds, showcasing the townspeople's resilience and innovation.

For decades, Minalin has been a reliable source of freshwater produce, including tilapia, mudfish, catfish, shrimp, mud crabs, and more. The town's reach extends from Metro Manila in the south to Pangasinan in the north, as well as other nearby provinces, ensuring the freshest produce reaches markets.

Leveraging the interconnected rivers for transportation and accessible roads, the markets receive exceptionally fresh goods.

Another reason to celebrate the graces of the danuman is the sustainable livelihoods it supports. The aquaculture industry generates a variety of jobs and livelihoods. Fishermen, fishpond caretakers, fishmongers, boat operators, transporters, porters, drivers, and feed suppliers, among others, benefit from this thriving trade.

This year's theme not only deepens the community's appreciation of nature's blessings but also reinforces its collective commitment to sustainable livelihoods and practices.

It's remarkable how a spontaneous jollity from nearly a century ago has evolved into a vibrant festival, symbolizing the enduring spirit, resourcefulness, gratitude, unity, resilience, and humor of the Minaleños, even in the face of adversity.