ANGELES CITY- October is the month of the rosary for Catholics, and for tourists, regardless of religious affiliation, it’s the month to troop to this city loaded for a month-long fiesta marking the feast of its patron, fittingly Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
“A wide array of what Angeles City’s culture, tradition and religion will be featured during this year’s “Fiestang Kuliat or Feast of the City during the whole month of October,” said Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan.
City information officer Deo Sambilay said the cultural programs would include “cultural nights, Serenata and Polosa, 182nd Naval De Angeles, mamyalung tamu (let’s play), pamangan fiestang Kapampangan (Feast of Kapampangan food) and Baguis (wings) street dance festival.” Serenata refers to music and polosa to poetry.
Angeles City Tourism Office (ACTO) Special Projects and Marketing Officer Rico Suarez said serenata and polosa would consist of “a romantic night under the stars featuring world-class entertainment by two Kapampangan orchestra in a musical face-off.”
“There will also be the Battle of Brass Bands; ‘mamyalung tamu’ which is a Kapampangan version of Filipino-street games; ‘pamangan fiestang Kapampangan’ which is a fiesta buffet at the Culinary museum inside Museo ning Angeles which features the Kapampangan excellence in the culinary scene with a spread of the best Kapampangan food; and ‘Baguis street dance festival’ which is a day of parade and street dances featuring barangay, schools and organizations,” Suarez said.
Suarez also said the activities would also include “Mutya ning Angeles” beauty pageant, the Feast of the Guardian Angels religious activities, “calesin” or tilbury race, the famous “Tigtigan Terakan King Dalan” or three nights of street dancing, and the first SM City Clark Pyrofest Competition.
“The Feast of the Guardian Angel is a parade of at least four archangels of Angeles along the heritage district of the city which will start from the Holy Rosary Parish,” he explained.
He also said that “calesin will showcase exciting traditional races of two-wheeled, horse-drawn carriages, featuring good-looking thoroughbreds and local breeds from all over Luzon.”
Suarez also said that the three-night street dancing “is Central Luzon’s biggest annual beer, food and music party that celebrates Angeles City’s triumph over the Mt. Pinatubo tragedy.”
“It is seen that we are more focused in culture, tradition and religion because the true essence of a fiesta is the celebration of these three areas,” he said.
Suarez said, “Fiestang Kuliat is an annual month-long fun and festivities during October. It serves as a thanksgiving celebration of the Angeleños to their patron saint of Culiat, Blessed Virgin Mary of Rosary”.
“It is also a celebration of the local residents’ resiliency since the area was hit by Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991 and after the United States Military base in Clarkfield was withdrawn,” he added.
