The streets of Malasiqui in Pangasinan were alive with excitement on Wednesday as the town celebrated the first-ever Kirmat (Lightning) Festival. This vibrant event, part of the town’s annual fiesta, featured a colorful street dance competition that highlighted the town's agricultural roots and the powerful symbolism of lightning.
Lightning as a Symbol of Strength
Although lightning is often associated with destruction, the Kirmat Festival turned this idea on its head. Inspired by a sermon from Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Mayor Noel Anthony Geslani explained that lightning represents resilience and strength. “It’s destructive, but we turned it around to mean energy, strength, and persistence in the face of adversity,” he said.
For Malasiqui, lightning plays a crucial role in agriculture, enriching the soil with ash and bringing much-needed rain to the town's crops, including onions, vegetables, and tobacco.
A Vibrant Display of Agricultural Pride
The heart of the festival was the street dance competition, where 54 out of the 73 villages in Malasiqui participated. The dances, organized into six clusters, told stories of the town’s agricultural traditions. Cluster five took home the grand prize with a performance that symbolized the transformation of lightning-struck timber into beautiful furniture, a nod to the town’s growing furniture industry. Cluster three, focusing on the town’s onion farming, illustrated how lightning’s natural fertilizer supports crop growth. Other performances celebrated local products like bamboo, silag (palm tree), and tobacco, all brought to life through colorful costumes and energetic dance.
Economic and Cultural Impact
Beyond the cultural celebration, the festival boosted the local economy. Food vendors, like John Paul Penuliar, reported higher sales, with businesses staying open later to accommodate the crowds.
Councilor Rydel Ann Laforteza noted that the festival’s registration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) would allow Malasiqui to participate in national competitions, putting the town on the map both culturally and economically.
