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Camiguin

Lanzones Festival

Lanzones Festival is a cultural and fruit festival held in the province of Camiguin, Philippines in the third week of October. It celebrates lazones, a fruit that the province is famous for. A week-long festivity, it is scheduled in time for the harvest season of the fruit.

Camiguin also celebrates the Panaad every Holy Week and Araw ng Camiguin every January 7.

History of Lanzones Festival

Lanzones Festival comes from the word lanzones (scientific name: lansium parasiticum), a fruit that is called buahan in the mother tongue of the inhabitants of Camiguin. Its small, round fruits have yellow peel. Once opened, its seeds are arranged into lobes covered with edible, sweet, transparent flesh.

Camiguin is popularly known as producer of one of the sweetest varieties of the fruit, which is called longkong. Such sweetness can be attributed to its soil that’s been mixed with volcanic materials and abundant in naturally occurring minerals such as potassium and phosphorus. Thus, fruit-bearing lanzones trees are cultivated in upland areas particularly surrounding Camiguin’s over a dozen volcanoes, two of which are active.

The presence of volcanoes and the belief that the island came about due to volcanic upheavals in the past give rise to Camiguin’s reputation as an island born of fire. Its most famous volcano is Mt. Hibok-Hibok whose eruption in 1951 paved the way to the creation of Commission on Volcanology (COMVOL), the technical arm of the Department of Science and Technology that studies eruption and earthquakes, a year later. It was later renamed Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS),

The provincial government issued a decree in 2018 so that the lanzones fruits harvested from its lands are henceforth called Camiguin lanzones. Other producers of this lanzones in the country are the provinces of Batangas, Davao del Norte, Quezon, and Zamboanga del Norte.

The first Lanzones Festival was held in 1979. Created to promote tourism, it was a simple festivity that included activities such as a fair of local products and a competition of dances. The festival has since grown by leaps and by bounds, attracting tens of thousands revelers to the island. Activities are conducted in the town of Mambajao, the capital of the province.

Lanzones Festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lanzones Festival Schedule of Activities

Lanzones Festival has sporting events, fairs, cultural presentations, entertainment shows, fireworks display, etc. Here are some of the highlights.

Datu Daw Bai Ta Buwahanan & Diwata Daw Tayamtam

Datu Daw Bai Ta Buwahanan & Diwata Daw Tayamtam is Festival King and Queen. They are selected as best male and female dancers who show grace and beauty in performing traditional dances.

Kalanrakas sa Kabataan

Kalanrakas sa Kabataan translates merriment of the youth or youth festival. Occurring in the last day of the festival, it is a competition of students from different elementary schools where they dance wearing attires that are made of indigenous materials. Winners are declared and given cash prizes. Other awards that are given out are best in costume, best musicality, liveliest contingent, festival King and Festival Queen.

Lanzones Eat All You Can

Lanzones Eat All You Can, as the name suggests, is where revelers can get their hands on tables with spreads of lanzones free of charge.

Mutya sa Buahanan

Mutya sa Buahanan is Camiguin’s prestigious beauty pageant. It is also called Miss Buahan and Miss Camiguin Tourism.

Streetdancing and tableau competitions

As one of the culminating activities, streetdancing and tableau competitions are one of the highlights of the entire festival. These are separate events, street-dancing occurs in the major thoroughfares of Mambajao while the tableau competition happens in outdoor venue such as Cong. PPR Tourism and Sports Complex, also called Mambajao Grandstand.

How to reach Camiguin

One can book a flight from Cebu to Camiguin Airport. Sea-based travels are also available, and inter-island shipping vessels from Cagayan de Oro dock at Benoni Wharf.

References

Lanzones Festival Summary

NameLanzones Festival
CelebrationCulture, Fruit, Food
CountryPhilippines
DateThird Week of October
Duration1 week
Emaillanzonesfestival@gmail.com
Established1979
Facebookwww.facebook.com
Instagramwww.instagram.com
LocationCamiguin
OrganizerProvincial Government of Camiguin
Tiktokwww.tiktok.com
Websitewww.visitcamiguin.ph