Tara naman ngayon at makipista sa Bolibong Kingking Festival ng Loboc, Bohol! We bring you the sixth installment of our Pistang Pamana series, in celebration of the National Heritage Month!
The festival showcases the culture and traditions of the people of Loboc. The name comes from the sounds of the instruments: bolibong (drum) and kingking (agong). The festival is also celebrated in honor of the patroness of the town, Our Lady of Guadalupe de Extremadura.
According to the local church records, Bolibongkingking is celebrated every 23rd-24th of May in the municipality of Loboc. This is a music and dance festival of folklore and traditions from the centuries-old history of Loboc.
Its name traces back from the sound and rhythm of local drums known as “gimbaw” which are used as musical accompaniment to the dance ritual of supplication by devotees in front of the image of Loboc’s second patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Bolibongkingking Festival is an annual cultural community pageant where the different villages or barangays of Loboc compete in a dance drama rendition of the cultural history, folklore, and traditions of the Lobocanons. For three days, beginning from the day of the fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a ritual devotion of dance and music is executed to commemorate the miraculous healing of the people during a cholera outbreak which was attributed to her intercession. During the festival, the following indigenous instruments are used: the guimbao, the drum, and the agong, the gong. The name Bolibong-Kingking was derived from the sound of the instruments: the sound of the drum (bolibong) and the sound of the gong (kingking).
Dancing to the beat of these instruments is believed to be a healing ritual wherein the faithful sway their bodies, especially the aching parts, in front of the image of the Blessed Virgin. Others participate in thanksgiving for previous petitions that were granted thru the Virgin’s intercession. Often you will see old women with handkerchiefs held aloft, mothers with infants, men waving their arms, and teenagers dancing with gusto. Others feel inhibited, especially the first-timers, but in the long run, become the best dancers, carried away by the mesmerizing rhythm and beat of the music.
Sources:
https://www.bohol-philippines.com/loboc-festivals.html
https://www.bohol-philippines.com/the-feast-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe.html
https://boholislandnews.com/2020/05/24/coronavirus-cancels-lobocs-traditional-bolibongkingking-as-it-goes-virtual/
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