Balayan ‘lechon’ parade dubbed as ‘wackiest, wildest fiesta’

BALAYAN, Batangas, Philippines – The 55th edition of the “Parada ng Lechon” of this western Batangas town held last June 24 was “an unqualified success,” with more than 170 roasted pigs paraded on the streets, according to the mayor.

Mayor Manny Fronda described the Parada ng Lechon as the “wackiest and wildest fiesta celebration in the country.”

Fronda said the parade is just the start of the revelry and more fun and merriment happens after the parade when Balayan town becomes a big and open beerfest area.

“Everywhere you go, you will see people having fun, drinking beer and other liquors, singing and dancing to the music of live bands, all the while dousing water to each other,” he said.

The yearly parade of hundreds of roasted pigs originated in the old thanksgiving custom of the working class in honor of St. John the Baptist in the old depressed area of Kanluran district in the western town proper of Balayan, also famous for its “bagoong Balayan.”

During the Spanish and American regimes, families who were fortunate enough to receive significant blessings during the past year would parade a lechon in the town plaza every June 24.

To the poor people of Balayan, parading a lechon in the plaza, where the Catholic church was at the center, was the best show of thanksgiving and veneration to their patron saint.

Even during those early times, the sight of people parading roasted pigs – coupled with the centuries-old practice of water dousing in places where St. John the Baptist was the patron saint – was quite a spectacle.

As the years passed, as more and more poor people received blessings or became successful, more and more roasted pigs were paraded every June 24, and a tourist attraction was born – becoming the pride and crown jewel of the town.

The Hermandad San Juan Bautista-Parada ng Lechon 2014 was headed by lawyer Ricardo Diaz, president; Noel Torres, secretary-general; Councilor Castelo, executive director; Fil Maningat, Boyet Pantoja, and lawyers Joe Justiniano, Gil Torres and Efren Chavez, directors. Meldos Castelo was the executive director of the Parada ng Lechon which the Pilipino Star Ngayon, among other sponsors, supported.