Lumban, Laguna

Lumban, officially the Municipality of Lumban (), is a municipality in Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 Census, its population numbered 32,330.

Lumban, one of the oldest towns in Laguna, lies approximately from Santa Cruz, southeast of Manila, and north of Lucena. It derives its name from Aleurites moluccanus, a tree locally known as 'Lumbang'. The province's capital town, Santa Cruz, as well as Cavinti and Pagsanjan, were once part of Lumban. The river where the Laguna Copperplate Inscription was found runs through the town.

Lumban is home to Lake Caliraya, an artificial lake popular with nature lovers and sports enthusiasts. It is known as the "Embroidery Capital of the Philippines," where fine Jusi and Piña cloth are hand-embroidered, with the finished product used for the barong tagalog worn by men and the saya (skirt) worn by women in a baro't saya outfit. Lumban is also known for its diverse range of footwear, like sandals, slippers, and step-in designs made from local materials.

History

Spanish colonial period

Lumban was founded on September 22, 1578, by Fray Juan de Plasencia and Fray Diego de Oropesa, who planted a holy cross in the area. The first church, dedicated to San Francisco and made of bamboo and nipa, was burned in 1586. With the collaboration of Governor Don Santiago de Vera and a local Tagalog chief named Burlon, construction began on a new stone church and was completed in 1600. Lumban was formally organized as a town on September 22, 1590.

The Church of Lumban is claimed to be the first Franciscan building in the Philippines outside Manila.

During the early Spanish period, Lumban was a large town that included the modern-day towns Santa Cruz, Cavinti, and Pagsanjan. Santa Cruz was separated from Lumban in 1602, followed by Cavinti in 1619, and Pagsanjan in 1668.

Geography

Barangays

Lumban is politically subdivided into 16 barangays, as indicated below. Each barangay consists of puroks, and some have sitios.

* Bagong Silang
* Balimbingan (Poblacion)
* Balubad
* Caliraya
* Concepcion
* Lewin
* Maracta (Poblacion)
* Maytalang I
* Maytalang II
* Primera Parang (Poblacion)
* Primera Pulo (Poblacion)
* Salac (Poblacion)
* Santo Niño (Poblacion)
* Segunda Parang (Poblacion)
* Segunda Pulo (Poblacion)
* Wawa

A dispute exists regarding the Caliraya Watershed on the eastern half of Barangay Caliraya between the municipalities of Kalayaan and Cavinti.

Lake Caliraya

Lumban is home to Lake Caliraya, a man-made lake created in 1939 that has become a popular spot for water sports and outdoor recreation, including fishing. The surrounding area features numerous tourist-friendly resorts and vacation homes, which are common due to the local scenery and climate.

Caliraya Dam

Caliraya Dam is an embankment dam in Lumban, Laguna, in the Sierra Madre range. The reservoir created by the dam, Lake Caliraya, initially supplied one of the oldest hydroelectric plants in the Philippines and later became a recreational area for water sports and fishing. Work on the dam began in 1939, and a small hydroelectric plant was operational by 1942.

Lake Caliraya was later connected to Lumot Lake, another man-made lake, via a 2.3 km (1.4 mi) underground penstock to increase water supply. Subsequently, the dam and lake were used as the upper reservoir for the Kalayaan Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric plant located west of Lake Caliraya, with Laguna de Bay as the lower reservoir.

Climate

Demographics

According to the 2020 census, the population of Lumban was 32,330, with a density of .

Economy

Culture

The town fiesta is held every January 20 in honor of San Sebastian, the town's patron saint. The Lupi festival is held every last Sunday of January.

Feast of San Sebastian

The San Sebastian Festival features a procession on the Lumban River, where the icon of the patron saint San Sebastian, along with hundreds of devotees, is placed on "Kaskitos", a fleet of large boats.

The San Sebastian Festival originated after the people adopted Saint Sebastian the Martyr as their patron saint in the 18th century. This annual celebration, observed every fourth Sunday of January, includes religious and cultural activities alongside the town fiesta.

The Moro-Moro, a type of “Komedya,” is performed the evening before the festival, showcasing local talents with colorful costumes.

The “Paligong Poon” takes place at the Lumban River, with the icon of San Sebastian and hundreds of devotees on the Kaskitos while holding lit candles and performing rituals across the river, known as “Lupi.”

Civic and religious organizations, as well as local bands, participate in the event. The icon is paraded around the town while locals take turns dousing the saint and devotees with water. Spectators include people from the municipality and neighboring towns.

During the feast, each barangay of Lumban features its icon of the patron saint on a float, accompanied by the nine-day novena of the Hermanas of the town.

Townspeople participate in a water-throwing ritual symbolizing purification and blessings by the ritual ceremony of the patron saint of Lumban.

Burdang Lumban Festival

Lumban hosts the Burdang Lumban Festival, an annual celebration of the local tradition of hand embroidery, during the third week of September. The festival aims to promote tourism in the municipality.

Lumban is known for its barong Tagalog, wedding gowns, and embroidery, and seeks to strengthen its reputation for hand embroidery, establishing itself as the Embroidery Capital of the Philippines.

The festival includes a street dancing competition featuring schoolchildren in colorful costumes inspired by the barong Tagalog and embellished with embroidery designs. The dancers start at the multi-purpose covered hall in front of the municipal building, proceed in front of the church, through streets, and end at the entrance of Barangay Wawa with a showdown. Imposing tambors and bastidores serve as props. Their choreography has earned them a prize at the Anilag Festival, Laguna's “festival of festivals."

Gallery

File:PagsanjanLumbanjf4468 11.JPG, Welcome Arch
File:Lumban,Laguna,Church,TownHalljf4615 01.JPG, Poblacion
File:Lagunajf4360 18.JPG, Lumban Town Hall

References

External links

Lumban Web Site
* Philippine Standard Geographic Code
Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System

{{Authority control

Municipalities of Laguna (province)
Populated places on Laguna de Bay
Embroidery