TIM eMagazine Vol.4 Issue 2
I
f India holds cows sacred as per Hindu beliefs and Thailand
reveres its elephants as both reliable workhorses in the forests and
carriages for Royalty and other dignitaries, the Philippines holds
this traditional beasts of burden with the same degree of respect as
their other Asian counterparts,
This premise is best experienced as one journeys to the town
of Pulilan in Bulacan and be part of the festivities of its Kneeling
Carabao festival held every May.
When we were younger, we marveled with awe and esteem on the
way these carabaos knelt in front of the San Isidro Labrador Church as a
timeless gesture of thanks to their patron saint. We also expressed sheer
delight when we saw—and took shots of—carabaos representing the
different barangays, groomed so well and boasting their shiny coats,
being paraded in their finery on their way to the Church, accompanied by
festively decorated carts that contain their bountiful products. And for very
good reasons. And, we drew rounds of excitement as we witness the thrills
of a carabao race that added more life to the parade!
Despite the Philippine-ness of the festivities, with all the colour, and
warmth and cheer that characterize the spirit of fiesta, the festival is
actually of Hispanic origin, as the Philippines was under Spain’s colonial
rule between 1565 and 1821. The townsfolk included the carabao in the
feast of San Isidro Labrador as this animal is very important in their lives as
farmers. Legend also has it that San Isidro was a labourer or ‘labrador’ who
worked on a farm. His boss could not understand how San Isidro himself
became very efficiency despite often being tardy. He decided to find out
what went behind a miraculous recovery that took place in the fields—
only to discover with astonishment that these had been ploughed by an
angel. The boss then came to San Isidro and knelt before him as a token of
gratitude.
What make these carabaos truly extraordinary—as well as revered--are
that they have actually been trained since childhood by their owners using
hand gestures—or whatever ‘diskarte’ they may apply to win the animal’s
instincts--to kneel. The climax takes place when the owners politely yet
firmly command their carabaos kneel in front of the San Isidro Labrador
Street Dancing
Parade
Street Dancing
Parade
Credit: Teddy Pelaez
Credit: Teddy Pelaez
Saint Isidore
the Laborer
or San Isidro
Labrador, the
patron saint of
Bulacan’s
Pulilan town
Pulian Town
Museum
Credit: Teddy Pelaez
Credit: Teddy Pelaez
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