Makatapak Festival: A Celebration of Bacolor's History

April Panililo

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

Parade dance performance featuring a woman holding a small statue of the Holy Mary.

Photo from the Official Website of Municipality of Bacolor.

Every November, the town of Bacolor, Pampanga, hosts a yearly celebration called the “Makatapak Festival”. The term "Makatapak," derived from the Kapampangan language, means "barefoot."

The festival commemorates the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which devastated the town of Bacolor with lahar flows.  Forced to flee their homes, residents walked barefoot through the lahar, carrying their belongings to safer grounds.

Today, the Makatapak Festival serves as a reminder of resilience and faith. The celebration features colorful street performances, including barefoot walking, traditional dances, and cultural displays. The dances often depict the hardships and triumphs experienced by the people of Bacolor during the lahar crisis.

One of the festival acts is the "Imung Baculud," a symbolic ritual where participants wash their bodies in the Gugu River, one of the key areas affected by the eruption.

On the second day, the festival honors the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Virgen La Naval). This religious celebration holds significance for the community as the Pinatubo eruption also buried it.

In 2019, Ching Pangilinan, a previous participant, shared her thoughts on the festival: "What makes the Makatapak Festival unique is that it both commemorates and celebrates our faith and resilience as Kapampangans." For Ching, the festival is a motivation to overcome personal setbacks.

The Makatapak Festival is a testament to the strength and spirit of the people of Bacolor, who have transformed a tragic event into a celebration of hope and resilience.