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The Taong Putik Festival is a unique festival-ritual that celebrates devotion and thanksgiving to Saint John the Baptist
NUEVA ECIJA, Philippines – Imagine walking home past midnight and you see a horde of people drenched in mud and dried banana leaves. That’s exactly what you’ll see in Bibiclat, Aliaga, Nueva Ecija, on the 24th of June every year.
The Taong Putik Festival is a unique festival-ritual that celebrates devotion and thanksgiving to Saint John the Baptist. Devotees from the town of Bibiclat wake up in the early hours of June 24 to cover themselves in mud and banana leaves, and ask for coins or candles which they would offer at the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint John the Baptist.
The devotees would then proceed to the church courtyard for Mass where they would be blessed by the priest. After the Mass, they would parade the image of Saint John the Baptist throughout the town rounding back to the church.
This procession recalls scenes from World War II, when the Philippines was under Japanese occupation. An execution of Filipino prisoners of war was called off after a sudden downpour, which the Japanese soldiers took as a sign from God. This tradition solidifies itself as one of the most unique festivals in the Filipino calendar.
So, whenever you pass by the town of Bibiclat, Aliaga, Nueva Ecija, and you see people drenched in mud and dried banana leaves — it is a solemn reminder of the sacrifice, devotion, and passion of our countrymen. – Kenosis Yap and Jyor So/Rappler.com
