Monday, July 02, 2007

Fiestas of Camagong

It is envelope in Filipino Culture, being the only Catholic Nation in Southeast Asia, the annual celebration of fiesta in any barrio across the country; north to south and west to east.

I was raised in a farm-barrio of Camagong in the Municipality of Tago. It is nestled in the central part of Surigao del Sur. The barrio residents being mostly Roman Catholics celebrate as many as five (5) patronal fiestas every year.

These celebrations were part of every Camagong native's life. I sometimes wondered why such a lot of fiestas celebrated in one barrio? What I understood then was a barrio had only to celebrate one (1) fiesta a year except those fiestas celebrated by other religious sect like that of Pedong's Fiesta in Brgy. Sumo-sumo in southern part of Tago. The one in Camagong are all Roman Catholic Patron Saints Fiestas.

I tend to rationalize that, perhaps, the lumads of Camagong were financially well-off during Decada '60s to Decada '80s. I also learned from my "Apohan" that farmers and residents of other barrios and the town of San Miguel passed through the barrio on speed boats, manually operated barotos (bancas) and bamboo rafts fashioned with a temporary tent for shelter on their way to the Poblacion to market their harvest and buy essential provisions for their life in the farm.

Brgy Camagong is composed of many sitios namely Kapilihan, Kinabhangan (Upper Puro), Puro Ubos (Lower Puro), Camagong Taas (Upper Camagong), Camagong Ubos (Lower Camagong) and Pagi-pagi. All of these sitios celebrate its own Patronal Fiesta.

Kinabhangan's fiesta is scheduled every May 17; Camagong Taas on June 30; Puro Ubos on June 24; Camagong Ubos on September 10 but was adjusted to September 11, a day after the Patronal Feast of San Nicolas in Tandag City; and Pagi-pagi is on every June 24, the Feast of St. John the Baptist.

In the late '90s to the early 2000, Pagi-pagi, Kapilihan and Camagong Taas faltered to celebrate these fiestas for many of the then residents have migrated to the Poblacion. It is only this year that lumads and grand children, so to speak, of this beloved barrio, brought back the celebration even many of them don't have houses anymore there.

Temporary shanties were made just for the occasion. Camps and tents, lined on the barangay road, housed the fiesta's guests.

I hope that this tradition of celebration will continue even many of the natives of this barrio have found home in other progressive place. Let us not be oblivious that our has many fiestas than others and its record of most fiestas celebrated in one barangay was only beaten today by the Poblacion.

The Poblacion today celebrates as many fiestas as its member purok through the new mandate implemented by the Parish Priests of Tago.

No comments: