[Culture] The Famous Lechon Parade in Balayan, Batangas

The town of Balayan on the western coast of the Province of Batangas is one of the province’s oldest; and history tells us that Balayan was among the first places in the province first explored by the Spanish conquistadores Martin de Goite and Juan de Salcedo in 1570¹.

During the Philippine Revolution of the late 19^th century, many of the town’s prominent citizens were part of the Philippine intelligentsia that openly campaigned for independence; and its men were active fighters in the local Katipunan.

In recent times, however, Balayan’s claim to fame is more as a tourist destination, especially in the month of June, for its world famous festival and the annual “Parada ng Lechon².” It has been included in various worldwide travelogues of various media.

Mention was also made by Carl Parkes of the festival in his book “Southeast Asia Handbook.” His description noted that, while obviously a fun and well-anticipated event, it could also get out of hand: “...a bizarre Parada ng Lechon in Balayan, Batangas, south of Manila. This procession features dozens of freshly roasted and glazed pigs protected by raincoats to minimize baptism by beer, and barbed wire to discourage hungry spectators⁵.”

While the primary Catholic church in the Municipality of Balayan is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, the feast of which is celebrated on the 8^th of the month of December each year⁶, this celebration has been somewhat obscured by the more famous festival on the 24^th of June with its equally famous parade.

The latter is traditionally recognized as the date of the birth of St. John the Baptist and is considered among the highest of liturgal feasts not only by the Catholic Church but also by the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutheran churches⁷.

The festival being held on the feast of St. John the Baptist probably explains the water dousing associated with it. “Sometimes, the parade spectators get rowdy, bringing with them water and beer. When the parade passes, they start to hurl water at the carriers of the lechon and other spectators⁸.”

It has to be mentioned, however, that the practice of water dousing associated with the celebration of the feast of St. John the Baptist may be less a Christian tradition and may be traced back to spring festivals that likely originated in southern China and are celebrated across Southeast Asia⁹.”

The lechon parade itself is said to have originated “as an old thanksgiving custom of the working class in what-used-to-be the poor and depressed area of the Kanluran district of Balayan¹⁰.” Local families who believed that they received good fortune and blessings in the previous year would parade a lechon in the plaza in Balayan during the Spanish and American colonial eras.

The practice started to grow until it became institutionalized in 1959 when the Brotherhood of St. John the Baptist, composed of the elders of the Kanluran district of Balayan, began to manage the organization of the “parada ng lechon.”