Festivals of Pangasinan

Tourism is one of the major industry here in the Philippines and this is the major concern of the government wherein they allot some budgets because it gives an additional income or profit on economic growth. One activity or event of tourism is the different festivals celebrated by Filipinos in the different places here in our beloved country. Our Department of Tourism is still making their very best to promote the different festivals wherein it can attract tourists that can generate precious dollars. In my province Pangasinan we have many festivals celebrated by several towns these are:

Talong Festival

        3^rd week of January, Villasis

The first month of the year promises to be a busy time for the townfolk of Villasis to celebrate their Talong (eggplant) Festival. It’s a thanksgiving of the people, many are farmers, for their popular vegetable products that rightfully make the town acclaimed as the Vegetable Bowl of Pangasinan and it is also their way of promoting their talong of which this town is the top producer in Region 1.

They are also main producer of eggplant, this town honors their prized violet crop of different sizes through music, cook fest, street dancing and eggplant grilling.

The talong festival is highlighted with cookfest entitled “pinakbet sa kawa”. Each barangay was given kawa (very big cookware) where they cooked the pinakbet and which they can use during big affairs in their respective barangays.

Sigay Festival

January 26-February 2, Binmaley

“Sigay” means harvest, light and merriment. The fishing town of Binmaley celebrates its rich yields from its farms and waters and establishes its rightful claim to being the Seafood Capital of the North. Enjoy the Agno River fluvial parade, banca carera, street dancing and seafoods cookfest during the festivities.

The Sigay Festival is a one week celebration from January 15 to February 2 which will give tribute to the aquaculture industry of the town, which is the number one livelihood of the community of Binmaley. “Sigay” is a Pangasinan dialect word which means to harvest.

Since Binmaley is positioned as the Seafood Capital of the North, having the largest land area for aguaculture in Pangasinan, it is apt to name our festival SIGAY to bring in the positive spirit of harvest. In fact, Binmaley, has produces milkfish, malaga (siganid) and prawns from fishponds and has catapulted itself as the “Fishbowl of Pangasinan“, after years of hardwork by local fish farmers.

Sigay festival is full of exciting events that participated and attended by Binmalenian’s and visitors. Special events like Fluvial parade, Agro-Aquaculture trade fair, Charismatic thanks giving, Banca carera, Senior citizen’s night, Seafood cookfest, Educators – Professionals night, Aquaculture and business management seminar, Sanguniang kabataan night,Barangay night, Procession of the town’s Patron, Charity ball –Balikbayan night, Comemoration night, Ms. Binmaley Coronation night, Thanks giving Mass, Civic parade and street dancing competition are enjoyed by all people of Binmaley and visitors from nearby towns.

Corn Festival

February, Sto. Tomas

Sto. Tomas was also the one of the corn-producing towns of the province, its fiesta is highlighted by its Corn Festival which showcases this prime product in street dancing competition, longest corn barbeques, and agri-trade fair.

The Department of Tourism commended the people of Sto. Tomas for their utmost display of unity and cooperation so that their beloved town would be placed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Corn Festival was a very good occasion for the people of Sto. Tomas to show their stride and expertise in agriculture, particularly in growing corn, incidentally the top product of the town after rice.

Dumayo Festival

Every March 21, Urdaneta City

The Annual Anniversary of Urdaneta’s cityhood celebrates the harmonious community established by the locals with migrants and business locators who made the city their home and the fastest growing central business hub north of Manila. “Dumayo” festival celebrates this convergence through activities like the Carabao festival parade, trade fairs, exhibits, cook fest and more.

Galila!Hundred Islands Festival

3^rd week of March, Alaminos City

Galila! Which means “come” in the vernacular, invites you to watch and join exciting 100 Islands Adventure Race in one of the country’s most unique and top destinations. Scheduled during the city’s fiesta, traditional fiesta events are likewise in store for “balikbayans”.

The most anticipated and largest crowd-drawer event in Alaminos City. Lavish celebration marks the Hundred Islands Festival. Exhilaration rides the atmosphere with the string of athletic and challenging pursuits like sky diving competition, skills Olympics or island adventure race, inviting the thrill-seeking foreign and local tourists. Sighs of awe and approval can be heard as the best of aqua products and seafood cuisine enjoys center stage. Restaurants often let out the latest and most sumptuous menus during the festival. A trade fair also usually graces the occasion.
But the most awaited spectacle would be the fluvial parade, showcasing floats made of shells and other fabulous marine themes. Magnificent designs only gets better at each competition. And the street rings of beats for the street dances, as well as the melodic masterpieces from the drum and lyre groups of different schools, joined by the official drum and bugle group. The heat of the sun mingles with the warm smiles of people following the floats and with the hot, dynamic dance routine of the street dancers.
After which, the night glitters with the charming smiles from beautiful muses vying for the HI maiden pageant. Then, people, especially the young crowd, flock the concerts featuring famous bands or celebrities. You’ll go home with a full stomach, event-filled memory and a bagful of souvenirs and delicacies.

Mango-Bamboo festival

April, San Carlos City   

               

Pangasinan’s sweet mangoes and the unique and artistic bamboo handicraft of San Carlos City take center stage in this celebration, usually held during the City Fiesta.

The city keeps its lead as the top mango producer in Pangasinan for the last 15 years. The dominant bamboo variety here is locally known as caoayan tua which is the kind used for making nipa huts and other furniture made of bamboo. There are about 15 barangays which are involved in bamboo industry.

Because of its popularity in bamboo industry, the city has its own bamboo market where produce from bamboo like nipa huts, baskets, lamp shades, furniture, cabinets, among others are on display and traded for three days, starting from Thursday to Saturday. Traders from other provinces come here to
buy the produce and sell these to outside provinces.

But unlike other towns or cities which hold their grandiose festivals, San Carlos’ will just have a modest celebration like the street dancing where the participants are clad in costumes using these two materials among others and through competitions like fastest maker of basket and cookfest showing different ways of mango food preparations.

The Mango-Bamboo Festival is not just meant to be a festival or entertainment event. It was called Mango-Bamboo Festival because the two products have a greater chance to compete in the world market.

Malangsi Fishtival

2^nd week of April, Bayambang

Known for their flavorful fermented fish (“buro” for the locals), this town pays homage to its harvests from the Mangabul Lake and features freshwater fishes in its culinary and street dancing competitions, and the requisite longest grill.

Pandan Festival

2^nd week of April, Mapandan

Street dancing competition highlights the celebration of the town’s unique product, pandan (or screw pine from which its name was derived from) and the many faces of agriculture as an industry.

Mangunguna Festival

3^rd  week of April, Bolinao

The fishermen’s festival in this scenic coastal town is a veritable celebration in itself as tourists and the locales are treated to colorful street dancing and unique water sports race using their native sea vessels like “balsa, baloto and bawis”.

Pista’y Dayat Festival

Last week of April-May 1, Lingayen

Pista’y Dayat is a thanksgiving celebration for a bountiful agricultural yield and plentiful fishing harvest held on May 1. This festival is characterized by Mass and fluvial procession held in the beaches of Pangasinan, a province in Northern Philippines.

The sea festival serves as a showroom of the various accomplishments of the province notably on environment and tourism. This also serves as a thanksgiving and unifying event among Pangasinenses in their march to prosperity and progress in order to realize the dawning of the Golden Era in Pangasinan.

This annual summer fest is celebrated with a weeklong series of various fun events and environmental awareness drives, concerts, tourism and trade fairs, performances and competitions, including a beauty pageant. As thanksgiving for the bounties of the sea, the festivities culminate in a Thanksgiving Mass on May 1^st, Labor Day.

Bagoong Festival

Last week of April, Lingayen

Lingayen is known for its bagoong-making and it is generally believed that bagoong was introduced in the town by early Chinese settlers

The mayor said it is about time Lingayen promotes its bagoong industry to the world in order to create bigger demands for the commodity.

'Lingayen Bagoong’ is already being exported to the United States, Saudi Arabia and some parts of Europe countries where Filipino communities thrive.

Nonetheless, like all industries, bagoong is also beset by challenges, the biggest of which is the dwindling supply of fish.

Known for being the best makers of “bagoong” or fish paste in the country, residents of Barangay Pangapisan Lingayen showcase the talents of the industrial workers and the rituals of bagoong making through street dancing competition.

Bangus Festival

April 30, Dagupan City

Pangasinan’s most popular fest is a celebration of Dagupan City’s rich harvest of “bangus”. Street parties and parade of dancers in bangus-inspired costume, culinary competitions, record breaking activities and savoring the world’s tastiest milkfish are in store for the locals and tourists.

In celebration of the bountiful harvest of milk fish in the area, town comes live with activities such as the longest grill, street dancing and 101 ways of cooking bangus.

The Bangus Festival has been commended for benefitting not only the local community, but also the neighboring towns. The “Festivals of the North” will feature the best-of-the-best in street dancing in Pangasinan, the Ilocos, Pampanga, and Zambales.

Festivals celebrating harvests and bounty from the sea are rituals of thanksgiving. The festival is the local folks’ way of thanking God for the safety of the fisher folk and the bountiful harvests they have year-round. It is likewise a venue for showcasing the prime products of the town as well as its culture and talents

Puto Festival

1^st week of May, Calasiao

Calasiao celebrate puto industry festival. It is known for its 100 years "white gold: "cup-shaped, bite-sized, soft rice cakes; the semi-glutinous rice is fermented in old earthen jars" (in villages of Dinalaoan, Lumbang, Ambuetel, and part of Nalsian). The Calasiao Puto is a rice cake that is well known all over the Philippines for its melt-in-the-mouth feeling. It is locally sold along the streets going to Sr. Divino Tesoro.

This festival is celebrated in honoring the product that has supported a lot of the citizens through the years. Rice cakes in white and brown can be bought anytime of the day.

For me promotion of this festival must be the duty of every Filipino because it is also the act of Patriotism. These are the festivals that showcase unique cultures of my province and it is rich not only in cultural but also historical heritage, food and nature, breathtaking sceneries that offer solace to tired souls. So, come and visit my province.