Sinait Garlic Festival

 Bawang Festival - Sinait, Ilocos Sur

(May 1-3, 2011)

Have you ever wonder how garlic goes into your kitchen, from the farm to the market into your kitchen spice basket. Certainly you do. We Filipinos, usually use garlic in cooking our food to bring out the aroma, mixed to whatever kind of dishes such as adobo and among others.

Farmers' from the northern side of the Philippines particularly in Sinait, Ilocos Sur major mass produce was garlic, yes garlic tons of tons of garlic. 

Bawang is the Filipino word for garlic of which the town of Sinait known as the Garlic Center of the Philippines. Competitions and exhibits include pinaka-Garlic bulb (e.g. biggest garlic), longest and most creative twined garlic bulbs, and the Search for the Garlic Festival Queen.

The Festival draws thousands of local and foreign tourist flock to Sinait, Ilocos Sur to watch the much-awaited Sinait Garlic Festival during the 1^st to 3^rd of May that showcase the talent, ingenuity and hard work trait of Ilocano Farmers in various competition form.

Way back to its history, the festival otherwise known as Sinait Bawang Festival was conceived in 2000 by Governor Savellano and Mayor Yabes, who were given the chance to witness the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, USA known as the Garlic Capital of the World. Sinait, which has an area of 7,800 hectares and 24,070 population is the entry point to Ilocos Sur from the North coming from Cagayan Valley and Ilocos Norte.

It is said that primary objective of the festival to give recognition to garlic farmers, it also aims to form and educate visitors and local residents on the importance of the garlic industry to Philippine economy.

The Garlic Festival also provides various competitions that display the remarkable talents of Ilocos Sur farmers on garlic cooking (cooking delectable meals using the calorie and protein rich garlic as main ingredient) and artistic presentation that includes root trimming, cleaning and bundling. An added feature is the Search for the Most Beautiful Cow and Carabao, which aims to recognize the superior indigenous livestock breed, raised by backyard farmers and encourage improvement of animal breeding. The criteria include general appearance, head and neck, forequarter, body and hindquarter of the animal breed.

The Festival is usually held at the grounds of the Sinait National High School and kicks off with a pilgrimage to Logo, Barangay Dalaquitan Norte which is followed by the opening program and trade fair. A grand parade of garlic floats, street presentations and street dancing are much-awaited sights as well.

May 3 is the festival’s grand closing day with the celebration being started by a holy mass early in the morning.  A Marching Band Exhibition and Competition is usually held in the afternoon while the Search for Sinait Garlic Festival Queen is a must-see event in the evening. As the festival close it fires up the sky with fireworks that it worth seeing.

Points of Interest in Sinait, Ilocos Sur:

• Sinait Public Market - On certain days garlic from the municipality and even the neighboring municipalities of Badoc and Pinili in neighboring Ilocos Norte are traded here.

• The barangay of Pug-os was renamed Don Leopoldo Yabes, in honor of the Ilocano writer and dean from the University of the Philippines who once lived in Sinait.

• Cabangtalan (Imelda's Cove) - features white sand beaches. It is located on the way to Barangay Dadalaquiten.

• Sinait's church is the Sanctuary of the Miraculous Statue of the Black Nazarene, fondly called by its residents as "Apo Lakay."

 See you at Sinait, Ilocos Sur and join the unique festival of the North.