The ''Ibalong Festival'' is a non-religious festival in
Legazpi City
Legazpi, officially the City of Legazpi ( bcl, Siyudad nin Legazpi; fil, Lungsod ng Legazpi), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 209,533. Legazpi ...
, Albay,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
based on the
Ibalong Epic
The ''Ibálong'', also known as ''Handiong'' or ''Handyong'', is a 60-stanza fragment of a Bicolano full-length folk epic of Bicol region of Philippines, based on the Indian Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The epic is said to have been nar ...
, and is held on August. The festival celebrates the epic story
Ibalong who was accompanied by three legendary heroes, namely Baltog, Handyong, and Bantong. People parade in the streets wearing masks and costumes to imitate the appearances of the heroes and the villains, portraying the classic battles that made their way into the history of
Bicol. The Ibalong Festival aims to express warmth and goodwill to all people; visitors and tourists are encouraged to celebrate with the Bicolanos. The Ibalong Festival is also known as the Ibalon Waterfalls.
However, according to renowned historians and anthropologists such as Domingo Abella, Luis Camara Dery, Merito Espinas, F. Mallari, Norman Owen, Mariano Goyena del Prado, et al., the present location of the ancient settlement of
Ibalong is in
Magallanes, Sorsogon
Magallanes, officially the Municipality of Magallanes, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 37,411 people.
According to renowned historians and anthropologists ...
.
[Reyes, J. C. (January–February 1979). The Ibalen Epic - A Window to Bicols Pre-history. Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas v. 53 nos. 590-591, pp. 61-92.]
See also
*
Ibalong (settlement)
Ibalon, or Ibalong, is the ancient name of the Bicol Region in the Philippines. The center of settlement is believed to be either beside the Bicol River at the present-day Libmanan, Camarines Sur (as based on the Ibalong Epic) or in Magallanes, ...
References
Festivals in the Philippines
Festivals in Bicol Region
Cultural festivals in the Philippines
Culture of Albay
Tourist attractions in Albay
Legazpi, Albay
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