Tinabuay Festival, also spelled alternatively as Tina-buay, is a harvest and religious festival held in the town of Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines every December 8. A four-day affair, it is conducted in honor of its patroness, Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, and a celebration as well as thanksgiving of bountiful harvest.
History of Tinabuay Festival
The first Tinabuay Festival was conducted in 1997. Its creation is attributed to Rudy Reveche who is regarded as the father of Tinabuay Festival. Its name tinabuay means to meet, gather, congregate.
It is the town’s biggest annual merry-making where celebrations are conducted to give limelight to the town’s abundant harvest and gathering of its people. It also showcases the lively culture surrounding trading in the marketplace where people come to sell and buy local products, fruits, vegetables, and other merchandise.
Moreover, the festival is a recognition of farmers and their contribution to the local economy.
Fiesta of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception
The municipality of Murcia is named after a town in Spain. It was founded by Augustinian Recollect friar Fr. Miguel Alvarez in 1860, and the church was established in the same year. The church is placed under the advocation of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception whose fiesta is another aspect of the Tinabuay Festival. The fest is an expression of the devotion to the patroness.
Tinabuay Festival Activities
The calendar of Tinabuay Festival starts from December 5 to December 8, the feast day of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. Religious activities such as Holy Eucharist and mass wedding are part of the schedule of the fest.
One of the activities includes Tindabuay Producers and Farmers Trade Fair, its name is derived from tinda (that is to sell) and tinabuay (gathering). The trade fair is an opportunity to showcase and prommote the products of the town.
The timing of the festival also places it adjacent to the Christmas season. Thus, another highlight is the lighting of the Christmas lights.
Other events are parade, entertainment, concerts, sporting events, street dance, dance arena competition, awarding, fireworks display, etc.
How to reach Murcia, Negros Occidental
Buy a ticket from Manila bound for Bacolod Airport. From the airport, take a bus to the town of Murcia which would take over an hour and cover a distance of about forty kilometers.
References
- 25th Tinabuay Festival opens in Murcia. The Visayan Daily Star. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2022
- Tinabu-ay Titanium. Sunstar. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2022
- Tinabu-ay Festival of Murcia. Sunstar. November 18, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2022
- Murcia’s Tinabu-ay Festival launched. The Visayan Daily Star. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022
- Doris Bongcac. Murcia contingent: Sinulog newbie ready to pay homage to Señor Santo Niño. Cebu Daily News. January 14, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2022
- Murcia Executive Summary 2021. Commission on Audit. 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2022
Tinabuay Festival Summary
Name Tinabuay Festival Celebration Harvest, Religion Contact 345 2243 Country Philippines Date December 8 Duration 4 days Email murcia_negros2010@yahoo.com Established 1997 Facebook m.facebook.com Founder Rudy Reveche Location Murcia, Negros Occidental Organizer Municipal Government of Murcia, Immaculate Concept Parish Patron Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Religion Roman Catholic
| Name | Tinabuay Festival |
|---|---|
| Celebration | Harvest, Religion |
| Contact | 345 2243 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Date | December 8 |
| Duration | 4 days |
| murcia_negros2010@yahoo.com | |
| Established | 1997 |
| m.facebook.com | |
| Founder | Rudy Reveche |
| Location | Murcia, Negros Occidental |
| Organizer | Municipal Government of Murcia, Immaculate Concept Parish |
| Patron | Our Lady of Immaculate Conception |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |