BRIDGING THE GAP
The Pangasi Festival of Lanipe, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras
(Note: The writer was in Guimaras on October 11, 2008.)
The local government and people of Barangay Lanipe in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, with the assistance of the Tourism Office of the Province, proudly launched their own festival on October 11, 2008. The culturally-rich community activity is called "Ang Pangasi".
Pangasi is a traditional farming ritual whose function is to offer, relate, befriend or communicate with the environmental spirits, whether they are benevolent or malevolent, who are unseen but live together with the mortals. The purpose of the pangasi ritual is for an abundant harvest and to insure the general well-being of the farming community and of the family sponsoring it, in particular.
The pangasi is essentially a peace offering of a farmer in order for him to live peacefully and abundantly in his natural environment. Through the intercession of a babaylan who serves as medium, the farmer can relate to these good or bad environmental entities. The good spirits are invited to help the farmer and to assist him and his family in keeping watch over the farm. The bad spirits, on the other hand, are exorcised or driven away so that they cannot do harm to the crops and to the members of the family of the farmer.
Other than the babaylan ritual involving body movements and incantations, another major feature of pangasi is the food offering consisting of different kinds of specialties and drinks. These are prescribed by the officiating babaylan himself. The primary ones are native chickens with red feathers and dark feet, large crabs, 14 shrimps, 7 prawns, 14 freshwater crabs, 14 freshwater shells, 3 milkfish, etc. The secondary ones are tuba, softdrinks, wine, young coconuts, 7 cigarettes, 7 candies, some native delicacies, banana, 1 pack biscocho, cooked rice, 3 eggs, 3 candles, and others. The foods are cooked without salt because the spirits are said not to like it. The choice parts of the chicken and the rest are then offered to the spirits to feast on and to get their goodwill in return. After the ritual eating is through, the remaining foods are feasted upon by the members of the family and the guests, and they can now use salt.
Because the pangasi ritual is still widely being observed in Barangay Lanipe, the Barangay Council, with the enthusiastic support of the families who are still observing the ritual, decided to come up with "Ang Pangasi Festival". It was agreed that on a certain date, which in this case is the second Saturday of October, all these families concern will celebrate collectively at the same time. This will insure the availability of plenty of food which the visitors and guests can partake.Among these families are the Estacions, Gajos, Gallardos, Galas, Galias, Gamarchas, Gamuyaos, Gamuzas, Gardes, Garmays, Gerolas, Gonzagas, Malans and the Missions
Other interesting features of "Ang Pangasi Festival" are the display and contest of choiced farm products, native games competition, composo and harana presentation, dance exhibition, the exciting dressing of chicken contest, and many others. Interestingly, the Ati population of the barangay, consisting of more than twenty families, are active participants of the festival. In fact, two of the leading participants of the composo and harana presentations are Atis.