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Cebu

Buyoc Festival

Buyoc Festival, previously known as Binuyokan Festival, is a cultural festival and religious fiesta in the southwestern municipality of Malabuyoc, Cebu, Philippines every September 10. It is a yearly merriment that celebrates its local culture, a means to express thanksgiving for bountiful harvest, a proud symbol of the people’s warmth and hospitality, and commemoration of the fiesta in honor of the patron saint, St. Nicholas of Tolentino.

Buyoc Festival is one of the cultural fests that joins Pasigarbo sa Sugbo every August.

Etymology

The name of the festivity comes from buyoc, a local word that means bent. It is also the origin of the name of the town. The word refers to the way branches of trees are bent under the weight of their fruits, and thus it represents the town’s abundance of harvest and the fecundity of its lands.

Alternatively, the name of the festival also comes from another meaning of the word buyoc. It is a cooking method where corn is cooked in boiling water until water is reduced.

Interestingly, the town’s name Malabuyoc is a portmanteau of mala and buyoc. According to one account, the word mala is taken from the Spanish language that means bad. A common lore states that the Spaniards delightfully consumed many different fruits such as lanzones, mangoes, and cacao, but after they suffered indigestion they uttered malo (not good).

Yet another tradition states that mala is from the indigenous language which means “in the manner of” or “similar to.” Hence, Malabuyoc means “appears to be bent in shape.”

History of Buyoc Festival

The previous annual fest of the town was called Binuyokan Festival.

Devotion to St. Nicholas of Tolentino

Buyoc Festival also honors St. Nicholas of Tolentino, the town’s patron saint. Augustinian missionaries sowed the seeds of the Catholic faith and baptized the natives into Christianity. A church was constructed and became a visita (chapel-at-ease) of Samboan, its neighboring town to the south beginning in 1784.

Local leaders Agustin Fuentes, Leon Carbonella, Jose Balentos, Pedro Vildosola and Martin Carredo worked to establish Malabuyoc as a town. Their efforts bore fruit when it was made into an independent parish and town on June 16, 1832.

The colonial-era church made from quarried coral stones was completed in 1863 and the convent that was designed by Domingo de Escondrillas was built from 1881 to 1885. The church is a protected structure for its cultural, historical, and architectural significance. A Level II historical marker was installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 2017.

Buyoc Festival Activities

Buyoc Festival boasts of a full-packed calendar that includes ritual showdown, variety show, talent contest, and celebrity-led entertainment.

How to reach Malabuyoc, Cebu

From Mactan International Airport, head over to Cebu South Bus Terminal and take a bus to Malabuyoc.

References

Buyoc Festival Summary

NameBuyoc Festival
CelebrationCulture, Religion
ChurchSan Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church
CountryPhilippines
DateSeptember 10
Emailmalabuyocpio22@gmail.com
Facebookwww.facebook.com
LocationMalabuyoc, Cebu
OrganizerLocal government of Malabuyoc
PatronSt. Nicholas of Tolentino
ReligionRoman Catholic