Buswak Tumatarok Festival is a Celebration of Bountiful Harvest

BUSWAK TUMATAROK FESTIVAL

Photo from: http://astrodeus.blogspot.com/2009/05/minalabac-town-fiesta-tumatarok.html

Minalabac is a town in Camarines Sur, the Bikol’s premier province, with a rich cultural and historical significance.

Historically, the town is one of the oldest pueblos in Camarines. It is blessed with the presence of Bicol River that has served as an important transport system for people and their farm products.

Latest archaeological findings reveal that Minalabac is one of the early settlements where trade and commerce flourished during the pre-Hispanic period. Then there is the annual Tumatarok Festival, a colorful event held every May 11.

This festival is a celebration of bountiful harvest the land has given to its people through the intercession of their Catholic patron saints, Apostles James and Philip. Read More: http://astrodeus.blogspot.com/2009/05/minalabac-town-fiesta-tumatarok.html

Photo from: http://bdp.bgas-phil.net/showcase/19093/project_album/323015094213981833

Considered as one of the most colorful and interesting fiestas in the Bicol region which takes place at the old, sleepy town of Minalabac . The Tumatarok Festival is celebrated every 11th of May which is done in honor of their two patron saints, Sts. Philip and James. Main highlights of the festive occasion include the evening tide fluvial procession where colorful floating pagodas crowd along the banks of the Bicol River ; the religious dancing of little boys who are called here as the Tumatarok ni San Felipe-San Tiago or the Rice Planters of Sts. Philip and James. These little boys, ages 8 to 11, sing the traditional Bicol hymn to the two saints. Likewise, after the celebration of the mass the next morning, the ten tumatarok once again performed another ritual, this time a sacred dance, in the sanctuary of the Church. It was said that their dance was a prayer to God, thanking Him for blessing upon the coming rice planting season which then and even now is the main source of income to many Minalabacueños. Read More: https://www.zamboanga.com/z/index.php?title=Minalabac,_Camarines_Sur,_Philippines

Photo from: http://astrodeus.blogspot.com/2009/05/minalabac-town-fiesta-tumatarok.html

The dance component of Bicol religious ritual was retained in colonial times. On the feast of San Felipe and Santiago in May, in Minalabac, Camarines Sur, men carry the saint’s images and estandartes of bamboo towers, while the children in costumes that change annually, dance the tuatarok (literally, “rice planters”), clicking their castanets and singing verses of praise to the twin patron saints and imploring their help for the officials and members of the community. Among the secular dances, the engano, a graceful sway, and the waltz step are of Spanish origin. Boys and girls dance Albay’s inkoy-inkoy to three-part music, sagurang being its oldest Bicol version. The jota Bicolana is lively as the Spanish jotas

The town is not just famous for the dance festival but is likewise considered as the refuge of many distinguished political figures with their families during the outbreak of the World War II. Read More: wikipedia.org

Photos below from:

http://astrodeus.blogspot.com/2009/05/minalabac-town-fiesta-tumatarok.html