STA. RITA, Pampanga – On its 23rd year, this town’s iconic Duman Festival comes with vibrant performance and a deeper sense of purpose right at the holy grounds of the parish church on Dec. 6.
“We honor the unique tradition of duman making at every festival with an original musical. For this year, since we are already celebrating the 300 years of the Sta. Rita Parish Church, we named it ‘Alang Imposibli’ (Nothing is impossible) Musical. The story is about Sta. Rita as town and how St. Rita of Cascia, our patron saint, touched the lives of every family in this small town,” said ArtiSta. Rita musical director Andy Alviz who also serves as tourism adviser to the LGU during the Duman Festival presser held on Oct. 8.
Duman is a light green grain produced from roasting and pounding of red glutinous rice variety sprouts grain (lakatan malutu). It is produced at the onset of the Christmas Season and takes center stage during the festivity.
To uplift the vanishing tradition of duman farming, Mayor Reynan Calo, in partnership with former president Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, pledged financial assistance to 25 duman farmers to ensure enough harvest of duman for the upcoming festival.
Calo also appeals for the full support of the Pampanga provincial government to boost the tourism industry and further preserve the heritage and culture of his home town.
“I am honored and grateful that we have ArtiSta. Rita to perform during the festival, with the creative talent and supervision of Andy Alviz as musical director and Randy del Rosario as writer, no doubt it will be a much better and improved musical play this year,” shared Calo.
Alviz said a bigger theater stage is currently under construction at the grounds of Sta. Rita Parish Church, which is the traditional venue for Duman Festival. “We are constructing a better and bigger stage for regular Zarsuela and eventually planning to make Sta. Rita as zarzuela capital.”
Aside from duman, native meals and snacks are served during the festival.
