Tigbauan, Iloilo - Saludan Festival

Saludan Festival

Saludan came from the word salud or salud. Tigbauan is coastal town its sea water abounds in different kinds of fish. An excerpt from a book, “The Philippine Islands,” by Blair and Robertson; 1493. 1898; Vol. XII, pp. 217, 219-220 of which Fr. Pedro Chirino related his experience and observations about our town states that, “The village itself was on the same shore, at the mouth of the river, of which I myself have enjoyed in abundance. As they were continually fishing on the beach, usually with three or four nets, they never made a haul without devoutly is regaling us with a part of it”.

Since the beginning of recorded history-Spanish time, our fishermen have used nets or woven bamboos to catch fish from the sea or river and in the local dialect we call this salud.

On the other hand, aside from our winter resources, our forests, farmers and hills also abound in rich natural resources.

The book further states; “Tigbauan has a very beautiful district with many villages extending more than six leagues along the coast of the sea; the entire district is well supplied with game, fruits, and vegetables and fish from the sea. The people are very industrious and always pre-occupied the men with their fisheries and farming, the women with their spinning and weaving…”Primarily our farm product is rice. Whether crude farming ways and tools or modern agricultural machineries are used we use the term salud. In threshing rice using the old method or the modern equipment – kita nagasalud man gihapon. Our tuba is famous for its sweetness and as practiced and tuba ginasalud kang salud. Thus, the Saludan Festival is born.