TIGKARALAG OF PAVIA: An Ultimate Fright Night Celebration

Text and photos by: Bombette G. Marin

Pavia, Iloilo has its own unique way of marking the spookiest of Halloween by annually celebrating the most important Halloween festival in Iloilo every 30th of October, Tigkaralag.

Tigkaralag is a “karay-a” or local dialect word that translates to season or time of souls specifically referring to the observance of the All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

A firm fixture on the Ilonggo festival calendar, Tigkaralag is on its 29th year this year. The event was started in 1991 by then Pavia municipal councilor and later 2nd District Board Member Cecilia H. Capadosa.

Pavia transforms itself as the spookiest and most haunted municipality giving everyone shivers with its annual dance-drama competition, the highlight of the celebration. The frightfully fantastic dance-drama competition following the opening program at 7 p.m. is a frightful sight that gives spectators chills up their spine.

The performances showcase scary stories either based on personal experiences or passed on from generations through word of mouth. Of course, these stories would not be complete without supernatural beings. Some of them may be a myth, but some may be true. Only one thing is for sure: they make the performances totally exciting.

Most popular Halloween characters in the dance-drama presentations are the Aswangs, known to be a vampire and a witch and are cannibals and can transform into an animal; Manananggal, a winged creature that separates its torso from its body and use the upper half to fly on top of thatched houses and prey on fetuses of pregnant women;  White Lady, a wandering spirit of a woman who died of injustice and seeks revenge for closure; Kapre depicted as a tall, dark, filthy giant who hides atop large trees and smoke a roll of tobacco and the Mangkukulam or a Bad Witch who possess supernatural powers and have the ability to cast evil spells to their enemies.

Tigkaralag is a celebration where families and relatives gather for a brief reunion to pray and honor the souls of their deceased relatives and includes offering flowers, lighting candles, leaving food and drinks or other offerings on their loved ones’ graves.

The holiday is celebrated three days each year from October 31st for Halloween, November 1 for All Saints Day, and November 2 for All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead.

Invite your friends, family, and neighbors and have a ghoulishly good time celebrating Tigkaralag in Pavia and have the spookiest holiday of the year. Happy haunting!

The Agro-Industrial town of Pavia is situated 9.6 kilometers or a 25-minute drive north from the city. This Second-Class municipality is politically subdivided into 18 barangays occupying a land area of 3, 502 hectares. Pavia is bordered by the municipality of Oton on the south; San Miguel on the east; Sta. Barbara on the north; Leganes on the west and Iloilo City.

Pavia is populated by 55, 603 Pavianhons (2015 Census on Population). Market day is every Wednesday. It annually celebrates its Religious Festival every 4th of May in honor is Sta. Monica. To get to Pavia, one can take a jeepney at Jaro Plaza, Iloilo City.