Bicol’s oldest festival pays tribute to land’s bounty
IRIGA CITY—Chip Vance, 68, an American from Oregon, was amazed witnessing for the first time the carabao-pulled cart parade during the annual Tinagba Festival in this city on Tuesday.
“It’s incredible! The perfect coordination and participation of the folks are truly impressive,” Vance said in an interview at the parade.
The colorful celebration, he said, was an unforgettable experience worth sharing with his fellow Americans once he returns home.
The Tinagba Festival, celebrated every Feb. 11 and now on its 51st year, is “one of Bicol’s oldest traditions, dating back to 1974 when Irigueños offered their first harvest to the gods,” said Iriga City Tourism Officer Nona Vanessa Santiago.
“Today, it remains a heartfelt tribute to the land’s bounty, featuring the ‘atang’ (offering) tradition, lively street dancing, and a parade of bull carts and floats laden with agricultural produce,” Santiago explained on Tuesday.
This year’s festival set a record with 153 decorated carabao carts, the highest number in its history.
Adding to the vibrancy, 11 contingents from various schools showcased their talents in the street dancing competition, filling the city’s streets with energy and color.
According to the city government’s website, the term “tinagba” comes from the root word “tagba,” defined in the 17th-century Lisboa Bicol dictionary as “las primicias” or the first fruit or grain of young rice.
It said the Tinagba was conceptualized by Irigueño lawyer and historian Jose Calleja Reyes to draw guests to his Ibalon Hotel and the grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes, where offerings used to be made, until the Reyes property was sold.
The festival was based on an ancient tradition of honoring Gugurang, a deity of Iriga’s Mt. Asog. Today, the festival coincides with the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Herbie Aguas, Department of Tourism director for Bicol, commended the local government for ensuring the festival’s enduring success and its role in promoting tourism.
“The community’s collective enthusiasm is instrumental in preserving this rich tradition and showcasing it to the world,” Aguas said on Tuesday.
Celebration of unity
Mayor Wilfredo Rex Oliva thanked the 135 members of Agta Tabangnon, an indigenous people’s community, who participated in the street dancing, underscoring their role in preserving and enriching the festival’s cultural significance.
“With their participation, Tinagba becomes more than a festival—it’s a living celebration of our history, agricultural heritage and the enduring spirit of unity among Irigueños,” Oliva said in her speech on Tuesday.
In keeping with the festival’s spirit of generosity, the crops offered to the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes will be distributed to the community, ensuring that the tradition remains a celebration of shared blessings, the city government said in a statement.
