The 2024 Magayon Festival in Albay was unlike any other as it featured the first-ever Inang Magayon Grand Maritime and Marian Procession of Nuestra Señora de Salvacion de Joroan, the heavenly patroness of Albay.
The processions served as the beginning of the festivals, emphasizing Albayano's contemplation of the religious side of the celebration and strengthening its link to the province's rich heritage.
Going religious
To add a spiritual component to the yearly Magayon Festival, the Albay province administration has included "faith tourism" in this year's festival.
Following the holy mass at Sawangan Park, Governor Grex Lagman stressed in his speech the importance of the province supporting these religious endeavors.
“Faith tourism is truly a unifying force. It is a catalyst for introspection for us to see beyond the ‘commercialization of the consciousness of Albayanos’,” he said.
Lagman further underlined that these endeavors' beauty lay in their capacity to bring all Albayanos together.
“Sometimes it’s disheartening to see how instant gratification has become the norm in celebrating our fiestas and festivals. In Bishop Baylons’s message, he believed that Albayanos deserve so much more than gratuitous entertainment,” he added.
Makings of Magayon
Magayon festival's activities include the Search for Daragang Magayon beauty pageant, street dancing, cultural displays, sports, competitions, and an exhibit called the Higantes Parade, which is a procession of giants from indigenous tales and stories.
Magayon Festival is derived from the word magayon, which means beautiful. Daragang Magayon Festival means beautiful maiden.
The festival started in 1995 and was made a province-wide yearly event in 1998.
