TIM eMagazine Volume 4 Issue 2 | Page 35

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 35