Celebrating Sorsogon

MANILA, Philippines - It was raining on and off on the first day of the Kasanggayahan Festival in Sorsogon. By the time the parade reached the city center, the street performers were soaked to the bone, but still smiling as they danced among the higantes. They were no doubt motivated by the crowd of Sorsoganons that stayed under umbrellas to watch the show and after, huddled together to celebrate mass.

Despite the rains, the whole of Sorsogon came out to witness the Kasanggayahan Festival – an exciting spectacle for everyone since the festival was revamped this year.

“What can we be proud of that is really ours? What is the distinct feature that we have in the province of Sorsogon?” Sorsogon City Mayor Sally Lee says these were the questions that the committee challenged themselves to answer when they first came together to re-brand the festival.

When tasked to find what makes Sorsogon truly unique, the organizers of the Kasanggayahan Festival had a lot to choose from – pili nuts which are abundant in the province, the whalesharks of Donsol, eco-tourism attractions, surfing spots, and more.

However, one event in Sorsogon’s history stood out – in the tiny fishing village of Gibalon, the first mass in Luzon was held in 1567.

On a small expedition dispatched by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi from Panay, Captain Luis Enriquez and Fray Alonso Jimenez found themselves on the shores of Ginagra River.

This first mass is what the Community-Based Theater Guild (CBTG) reinacted to open the festival, complete with larger-than-life effigies of Fray Alonso, Captain Luis, and his crew.

“We try to bring out the talents of the province. This is what we want to show everybody... the culture and history of the province,” says tourism consultant Milo Naval, highlighting the talented CBTG.

Naval adds, the Kasanggayan festivals of the past were celebrated with singing contests and the like, and were just celebrated among the community-members. “Now the festival has more of a global appeal.”

The re-branded Kasanggyahan is a mix of modern and traditional – appealing to both young and old, foreigners and locals. While the activities are new, the essence of the festival – the first mass in Luzon – is not lost.

“We are trying to do events that are not very usual and show culture in a modern way,” says Naval. “We want to bring the events to the streets,” he adds, noting that even the photo contest was easily accessible to the public, as the photos were printed on tarps and displayed along the road. “We want people to enjoy and participate.”

After the persistent rains on the first day, the rest of the Kasanggayahan Festival was blessed with sunshine.

Day two of the festival saw the opening of the Kasanggayahan Village where each municipality had stalls and sold their local products.

There was also a more traditional form of street dance – the Pantomina sa Nayon, where 17 contingents, ranging from the old to the young, performed a courtship dance.

One of the new and interesting highlights of the festival was the Bida Ka Street Art contest, a cosplay contest with Bikolano spice.

Contestants were dressed as creatures from Bikolano mythology – including Gugurang, a Zeus-like leader of the pantheon of Bikol gods, a crowd favorite, who held a lightning bolt and a capiz lantern; there was Oryol the serpentine half-woman, half-snake, clad in a creatively imagined costume with scales made of tahong shells; and a whole gamut of aswangs and mythical beasts.

In the end, the less traditional Parau Princess won the contest, for the use of multi-hued pieces of abaca that made up her dress, evoking boat sails blowing in the wind.

The rest if the festival was a showcase of Sorsoganon culture with the photo contest, CBTG night, food festival, concerts and more. There was also a pilgrimage to Gibalon, where a commemorative mass was held.

“We were able to get the interest of the public. The ideas are very much in tune with the times,” says Naval on his assessment of the first few days of the festival. He was especially pleased with the active participation of the whole community. He plans to make even more improvements on the festival in the coming years, and hopes that the festival will gain international appeal.

With its re-branding, the Kasanggayahan festival has gone beyond a simple foundation anniversary celebration. It has established Sorsogon as the birthplace of Catholic faith in Luzon.