Nagcarlan’s Ana Kalang Festival 2018
Ana Kalang Festival is a 5-day celebration every April in Nagcarlan, Laguna, across the foot of Mt. Banahaw and Mt. Cristobal.
The festival is named after Ana, a beloved historical figure of Nagcarlan, and Kalang-kalang, the giant statues that are paraded around the town during the festivities. This festival is very popular, which focuses on spectacular native costumes made from indigenous natural materials. Cultural shows and native cuisines are also major attractions same with agricultural products and industrial produce.
Lanzones is the most abundant fruit in Nagcarlan, and the town is the biggest supplier of the fruit in Manila.
The major attraction of the festival is the parade and the street dancing contest. Street dancers are dressed in beautiful and colorful native costumes. They dance gracefully in the streets, moving around the giant Kalang-Kalang. The Kalang-Kalang is a unique folk art and a giant statue that is ten feet high and made of various fruits, vegetables, and indigenous materials. The parade is fun and enjoyable, with so much participation of the townspeople dancing merrily with the sounds of drums and lyre corps from different schools. You can also see beautiful majorettes in elegant uniforms.
Barangays, schools, organizations, and individuals join the Kalang-Kalang making contest. Each of the statues that they make will be displayed in an exhibit and paraded around the town on the last day of the festival. You can see the creativity of the people in beautifying their statues and adorning them with glittery and colorful costumes and accessories.
Nipa huts are also decorated with fruits and vegetables. From afar, the decors look like colorful curtains with various designs, but when you come nearer, they’re actually vegetables like sayote, raddish, chili, upo, and tomato.
Other highlights of the festival include the agro-trade fair where people can show their skills in handicraft-making and basket-weaving and showcase their products and agricultural crops like fresh fruits and vegetables, coffee and root crops. These products are also for sale to both local and foreign visitors. Cooking contest, nightly cultural shows, tours in the town’s scenic and historical spots, antique exhibits, garden shows, folk games, school bands exhibitions and a beauty pageant are the other lively activities in this festival.
Myths, legends, and cultures blend together in this dynamic Ana Kalang Festival. You will witness people’s creativity and resourcefulness while having a glimpse of their rich cultural heritage.
Nagcarlan is a second class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 59,726 people. It is 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) northeast of San Pablo City, or 103 kilometres (64 mi) south of Manila. Its coordinates are N14°07.93′ E121°24.93′ at 229.0 meters above sea-level.
Nagcarlan has clean flowing rivers, gushing waterfalls, calm lakes and lush hills and mountains. Historic Spanish colonial sites, restaurants with competitive and affordable dishes, resorts and vacation house and a plethora of welcoming people.
Lack of promotion has caused this town to be overlooked by tourist and that is why locals have made their own ways to promote this town through blogging websites and conducting nature-oriented activities like hiking and running.
How to get to Nagcarlan
From Manila:
1. You can ride a bus in bus terminals at Ayala Center Makati near Landmark, Kamias Quezon City near Cubao or Buendia Corner Taft Avenue Manila going to Sta. Cruz, Laguna
2. From there you can take a jeepney going to Nagcarlan.
