Pampanga's 441st foundation day celeb features a "Parade of Festivals"
By Joelyn G. Baluyut
Monday 10th of December 2012
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Dec 10 (PIA) -- Pampanga is celebrating its 441st founding anniversary today, with a parade that will showcase the unique and grandiose local festivals of its towns and cities.
“It has been a long dream of the provincial government to bring together all our local festivals. A lot of Filipinos especially Kapampangans know the major traditions in one’s town but not all of them have witnessed the actual activities, and so with this parade, we will let you experience all of those at the same time,” Provincial Tourism Officer Arwin Lingat disclosed.
Anchored on the theme, “Abe-abe, Pagmasusian Panyulung ning Kapampangan (Together, we will work together for the development of people of Pampanga)," the parade will feature Mabalacat city's Caragan festival which honors Aetas, Magalang’s Kamaru (mole crickets) festival which is celebrated every August, Floridablanca’s Fiesta San Jose; Arayat's Mangga Festival; Mexico's Aguman Sanikulas which is centers on the famously baked local cookies; Lubao's blossoming Sampaguita; Porac’s Binulo (food cooked in bamboo); Sta. Rita’s Duman Festival (native rice cereal); Sasmuan’s Kuraldal which honors the town's patron Saint Lucy which is believed to help the blind and women help bear children; San Simon’s Sun-Sea-Moon; Bacolor’s Makatapak (barefoot); and Candaba’s Ibon-Ebon (bird’s festival).
Spanish colonizers reorganized what was once the
Kingdom of Pampanga into a province under its tutelage in December 11, 1571.
The old kingdom’s dominion included portions of the modern-day provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Zambales.
In 1982, then-President Ferdinand Marcos designated December 11 as a holiday for the province through Proclamation 2226. (CLJD/JGB-PIA 3)
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