The Three Feasts of Albay

MANILA, Philippines -- It will be another colorful celebration of culture, craft, and cuisine as the province of Albay marks three festivals in Tabaco City and the towns of Camalig and Polangui this June.

According to Albay governor Joey Salceda, the festivities will rediscover the history and cultural heritage, promote tourism and showcase people’s skills of the said localities.

He said the festivals reflect the color and diversity of the towns situated around the foot of Mayon Volcano.

Festivities kick off with the month-long Pulang Angui Festival of Polangui which relives the origins of the town.

Coinciding with the town fiesta in honor of Sts. Peter and Paul, the focus of the festivity is the street-dancing presentation on June 24 which reenacts the legend of Pulang Angui, a beautiful maiden during the town’s olden days after whom the municipality is named.

The Search for Mutya ng Pulang Angui unreels on June 27. This contest is known to produce candidates for national beauty pageants.

Action shifts to Camalig for the Pinangat Festival which runs from June 10-24 and will bring to the fore its culinary pride—the pinangat.

Regarded as a signature Bicol delicacy, pinangat is a vegetable dish made up of shredded gabi leaves, red ginger, tiny shrimps (balaw) or a slice of salted fish or pork and crushed pepper. The ingredients are wrapped in gabi leaves, tied in bundles and cooked in coconut milk in a clay pot.

On June 21, pinangat makers gather in a municipal convention to improve packaging and marketing of the famed delicacy. There will also be pinangat cooking and eating contests in the afternoon.

Celebrations conclude with the street presentation and Ginang ng Camalig search on June 22 and the patron’s fiesta on June 24.

Acknowledged as Albay’s heritage town, Camalig is known for its rows of ancestral homes, archaeological sites and the postcard-pretty St. John Church which serves as a repository of pre-Spanish relics.

Merry-making shifts to Tabaco City for the Tabak Festival from June 16-25 which will bring to the fore the city’s booming cutlery industry.

Dubbed as the country’s “cutlery capital” Tabaco City is a major producer of quality scissors, knives and bolos because of its skilled traditional blacksmiths.

The event-filled festivity will also feature musical concerts, sports tournaments, jobs and livelihood fairs, and the opening of the National Museum branch.

Festivities reach fever pitch on June 22 with the Tabak Street Dance and Exhibition which will retrace the origin of the city’s popular craft. The evening rocks with an entertainment-filled City of Love’s Constellation of Stars which will feature the hottest musical and showbiz celebrities.

Situated on the eastern seaboard of Albay, the city is an important commercial, fishing and tourism hub because of its strategic location.

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