In Bohol, May fiestas return after 3-year absence
MERRYMAKING | The “Saulog Tagbilaran” street dancing competition held on Sunday, April 30, 2023, in Tagbilaran City signals the start of the monthlong fiesta celebrations in Bohol, with a town or village holding a feast on any given day in May anywhere in the province. (Photo by LEO UDTOHAN / Inquirer Visayas)
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Philippines — The festive mood in Bohol is back three years after the province’s traditional fiesta celebrations every month of May were canceled since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020.
On Monday, Boholanos marked the return of the merrymaking in the island province where a local feast is held each day of May, down to the last barangay of its towns and capital city.
Tagbilaran City, the provincial capital, kicked off the celebrations by staging several activities to mark the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
At the City Hall, Mayor Jane Yap laid out a feast for anyone who wanted to join city officials for lunch on Labor Day.
Aside from food, residents and visitors were also treated to various “Saulog” (let’s celebrate) activities, including the Saulog street dancing competition held on Sunday.
“(We’re doing this) to reintroduce Tagbilaran City and Bohol to the world. We also want to continue the tradition of gratitude,” Yap said on Monday.
“It is not about festivities but a celebration of faith, life and love. Little or big houses in Bohol are celebrating fiestas. Gates are open,” she added.
Homecoming
In the Visayas, Bohol has been known for its festivities held each May. Boholanos scattered in the different parts of the country and the world would usually find time to return home to celebrate the fiesta of their town or village.
Boholanos working elsewhere have been known to save up for this annual trip to celebrate their hometown’s fiesta.
It is also a long-held family tradition in Bohol for families to open their homes to daylong feasting, where relatives, friends or even strangers can enter the house to partake in the array of food laid out for everyone to enjoy.
May is a special month for Bohol because a fiesta in honor of a patron saint occurs somewhere in the province on a daily basis.
What makes the Bohol fiestas unique is that anyone can travel around the island for the entire month and can partake in free food because everyone is putting up a feast on any given day.
Fiestas in Bohol are characterized by an abundance of food, overflowing beer and “tuba” (coconut wine), and lively gatherings.
Most homes usually prepare to roast two pigs for the feast—one to be consumed during the celebration and the other to be sliced up for the guests to bring home.
Anticipation
These homecomings that saw thousands of returning Boholanos crowding seaports and bus terminals were halted when travel restrictions were imposed to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Now that travel has resumed, Boholanos like Gelacio Castaño, 74, of Barangay Cogon in Tagbilaran, said they were looking forward to celebrating the feast of the city’s patron saint as a major family event that they missed doing in the past three years.
Castaño, a former airport personnel, said his seven children—from 27 to 47 years old—all contributed to the fiesta celebration.
“We need to celebrate the fiesta of St. Joseph because that’s what we learned from our parents,” he said in an interview on Monday.
Castaño said they bought an 82-kilogram pig and numerous bottles of soda for their celebration, with an “inasal” (roasted pig) as a centerpiece.
“This year, life has returned to normal. We don’t have any reason not to celebrate the feast of St. Joseph,” Castaño said.
