image courtesy of www.tourism.gov.ph

Another pretty interesting Philippine festival to watch out for this week is the Taong-Putik Festival held in Barangay Bibiclat in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija! It is a religious event in which town folks cover their bodies with mud and wear dried coconut or banana leaves and vines.

I haven’t tried participating in this festival. I’d love to see this live. Perhaps, next year. I only learned about this when I saw the box-office Star Cinema hit Sukob (starring Claudine Barretto and Kris Aquino). It was creepy to me but I was somewhat fascinated about it so I asked around whether such a festival really happens. And yes, it does.

They say that people of Aliaga do not actually call this celebration “Taong-Putik Festival.” It was only the outsiders who gave it its name. For the locals, it’s just a “San Juan” ritual. Why San Juan? Because this festival is celebrated in honor of St. John the Baptist, like most Philippine festivals held on June 24th. It’s just that here in Aliaga, they don’t just douse people with water. They take to the next level — mud. Why mud? Nobody really knows.

They say that the town folks cover their bodies with mud and leaves because St. John has also done it once in his lifetime.

However, legend has it that an image of St. John the Baptist helped drive away venomous snakes in the village. In fact, the name of the barangay Bibiclat came from the word “biclat,” Ilocano for snake.

But I read from the Nueva Ecija Journal website perhaps the most interesting theory on the event’s origin. They say that another legend tells the story of several Japanese soldiers who were just about to execute all men in this small village some time during World War II. These Japanese soldiers were so furious because of 13 of their fellows were murdered. Suddenly, it rained heavily that the local men had to be sent to the church for shelter. After that, the Japanese soldiers changed their minds and set them free. Villagers say that it was a miracle by John the Baptist so they vowed to honor him.

Interesting, yes?