In Bulacan, Pulilan’s kneeling carabaos draw thousands
PULILAN, BULACAN—Thousands of residents and tourists gathered along this town’s main thoroughfare on Wednesday to witness the famous kneeling carabaos during this year’s Carabao Festival, the main highlight of the annual feast of San Isidro Labrador, Pulilan’s patron saint and protector of farmers.
Mayor Maritz Ochoa-Montejo estimated the crowd at close to 100,000, which approximated the number of visitors in past years.
Neither the sweltering heat nor the afternoon rains dampened the festive spirit.
In response to the extreme heat index, which reached 42 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, organizers moved the main program to late afternoon. Rain began around 4 p.m., but the celebration continued.
All 19 barangays joined the 2-kilometer long parade led by local officials and community leaders, featuring floats and carabaos. The procession culminated at San Isidro Labrador Parish Church.
As thousands lined both sides of the parade route, the crowd erupted in excitement each time a carabao knelt on command to chants of “luhod, luhod, luhod” (kneel, kneel, kneel), even before reaching the church.
At the church’s facade, carabaos solemnly knelt again—this time in reverence to San Isidro Labrador as a gesture of thanksgiving for the year’s bountiful harvest.
Ochoa-Montejo told the Inquirer that around 500 carabaos from Pulilan, and neighboring towns and provinces participated in the parade, with farmers having trained them specifically for this symbolic act.
The kneeling carabao tradition in Pulilan dates back nearly a century, and continues to serve as a heartfelt expression of gratitude and hope for continued agricultural abundance.
Pulilan is also home to the Mandala Festival, a renowned celebration of agriculture and the arts.
The festival showcases the creative works of artists from Bulacan and other Central Luzon provinces, with paintings and murals adorning public and private spaces across town. Pulilan native and acclaimed filmmaker and artist Andrew Alto de Guzman is among the people behind the festival.
Newly elected Mayor RJ Peralta said the local government would prioritize heritage preservation and expand agritourism projects, positioning Pulilan as a key destination in Central Luzon’s cultural and agricultural landscape.
According to the Bulacan Provincial History, Arts, Culture and Tourism Office, local and international tourist arrivals in the province have surged, reaching 1,356,442 as of last month and projected to rise to nearly 1.5 million.
