EVERY April in Dagupan City, Philippines, its people are looking forward with anticipation and excitement to the annual Bangus Festival. It is a grand celebration of the bountiful harvest of bangus, a staple and popular milkfish that has come to symbolize the city’s identity and thriving industry. The festival also honors the veneration of Saint John the Evangelist and apostle, the city’s Patron Saint. Saint John, also known as Saint John the fisherman, figured prominently in biblical stories of bountiful fish harvests.
The festival features a mix of food, fun, and tradition, involving vibrant street dancing competitions (Gilon-gilon ed Dalan), grilling contests (Kalutan ed Dalan), and cultural performances highlighting the community’s spiritual heritage. It culminates with the Easter Sunday Mass held at sunrise in Tondaligan, where a unique interpretation of the traditional “Abet-abet” or “Salubong” — an Easter tradition in the Philippines that reenacts the meeting of the risen Jesus and his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary — is performed. The ritual also depicts the interaction between Jesus, John, the apostles, and the fisherfolk, tying the festival to the religious roots of the city.
