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Cebu

Humba Festival

Humba Festival is a cultural, food, and religious festival in Ronda, Cebu, Philippines every September 15. It is an expression of thanksgiving for the blessings and livelihood to the town’s patroness, Our Lady of Sorrows.

Humba Festival is one of the cultural entries in Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.

Etymology

The name of Humba Festival is derived from humba, a local dish of braised pork. It is thought that the word comes from humok nga baboy (tender pork) or humot nga baboy (aromatic pork).

However, experts believed that the dish is old and could be traced back to the time before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers in the Philippines. The dish and its name might have originated from a Chinese raised pork dish called hong-ba or hong-mah.

History of Humba Festival

The municipal government of Ronda within the term of Mariano Blanco III launched Kabuhian Festival in 2004. It was organized in time for the religious fiesta of the town in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Kabuhian Festival comes from the root word buhi, meaning life.

In 2010, the cultural event was rebranded as Panginabuhi Festival. Its name, panginabuhi, is directly translated to livelihood. It was last held in 2018.

The Panginabuhi Festival celebrated culture, heritage, tourism, and the livelihood of the townsfolk. Its activities included street dancing, several contests, local cuisine, and activities meant to highlight the agricultural and fishing industries.

In 2019, Humba Festival of Ronda joined the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.

Humba de Ronda

Ronda is known for its unique twist of the local dish humba, so much so that their version is popularly called Humba de Ronda (Ronda’s Humba).

The dish is cooked in various ways. Its basic ingredients remain present: protein in the form of pork belly, a sweetening agent (muscovado, sugar, pineapple, soft-drinks), aromatics (pepper corn, garlic, onion, bay leaves), soy sauce, vinegar, and seasoning (salt, pepper). The cooking process can take anywhere between 45 minutes or longer depending on the duration for the pork to be tender.

The dish is paired with white rice or corn grits.

Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows

The devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows in Ronda began in colonial times. Christian missionaries preached to the settlement that was then called Holoyaw or Huluyaw. The word might refer to a plant that was grew wildly in abundance in the area or screams of townspeople escaping from Moro raiders.

Its church was a visita of Dumanjug Parish. On June 17, 1881, it became an independent parish and Our Lady of Sorrows was its patroness.

The Spaniards also renamed Huluyaw to Ronda based on either a place in Spain or the patrol that the Spaniards did to catch criminals and rebels.

How to reach Ronda, Cebu

From Mactan-Cebu International Airport, take a ride to South Bus Terminal and then get on a bus to the southwestern town of Ronda.

References

Humba Festival Summary

NameHumba Festival
CelebrationCulture, Food, Religion
ChurchOur Lady of Sorrows Parish Church
CountryPhilippines
DateSeptember 15
Emailrondatourismoffice@gmail.com
Established2019
Facebookweb.facebook.com
LocationRonda, Cebu
OrganizerMunicipal Government of Ronda
PatronOur Lady of Sorrows
Previous NamePanginabuhi Festival
ReligionRoman Catholic