melaikick

went to the taong putik festival in aliaga, nueva ecija, err… last june (backlogs pa more, dami ko kasing pinagdadaanan, hahaha). this festival celebrates the feast day of st. john the baptist and the locals cover their bodies in mud and banana leaves and then roam around to ask for alms and candles.

we spotted a kuya who was soaking up in mud… he seemed oblivious to the photographers and kept mud bathing…

the taong putik were already roaming even before mass… in the dark, they look like cousin itt, the hairy character from the addams family cartoon, haha.

the church already had a lot of vendors selling rosaries and candles, they’d gawk at the tourists and literally shove their wares at you like they were competing…

i waited for sunrise at a kind family’s garage… where we all watched the passing taong putik. they also let me use their restroom. there are no portalets at the event, and the church doesn’t have restrooms available for the public, so you have to very kindly ask from the nearby homes.

i attended mass and lit some candles. ogled a few more of the walking mud people… the experience was very unique, unlike anything else… going to this festival is an excellent idea if you want something different from beach bumming or going up mountains… and if you have excellent bladder control, haha.

so eun, ended the day with good food from our tour organizers. might come back to aliaga someday…

yun lang.

♥ melai