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Aguman Sanduk: Pampanga town welcomes the new year in a fabulous way
The Aguman Sanduk all-male parade wends its way through the town.
This is the tale of a fellowship of adventurers on a quest for a ring. But their ring is made of bamboo, and there is no dragon—only drag.
For the last 83 years, the town of Minalin in Pampanga has held a festive cross-dressing parade to welcome the New Year: the Aguman Sanduk, or the Fellowship of the Ladle.
Changing into dasters and skirts, caking on heavy makeup, the boys and men of the town take up ladles and parade around town before converging on the town plaza in front of the 400-year-old Church of Sta. Monica to choose the Reyna Ning Aguman Sanduk, or the queen of the ladle.
How it started
For the last 83 years, the town of Minalin in Pampanga has held a festive cross-dressing parade to welcome the New Year: the Aguman Sanduk, or the Fellowship of the Ladle.
Changing into dasters and skirts, caking on heavy makeup, the boys and men of the town take up ladles and parade around town before converging on the town plaza in front of the 400-year-old Church of Sta. Monica to choose the Reyna Ning Aguman Sanduk, or the queen of the ladle.
How it started
A participant has a makeup touch-up during a parade stop.
According to residents, the tradition began in the early 1930s, when Minalin lost its harvest due to drought. To cheer up a town mired in impoverishment and despair, a group of professional men called Aguman Alang Tutul (The Fellowship of No Opposition)—some known jesters among them—put on women's clothing and makeup, set up tables in the plaza, and started cooking congee and other food to share with the rest of the town.
The stunt succeeded in lifting people's spirits, and since then the Aguman Sanduk has been a much-anticipated yearly event.
Minalin has 15 barangays, and the festival allows a maximum of 30 participants per barangay. Each barrio is given funds to design and decorate their floats, which are also part of the competition.
The parade starts from Minalin's welcome arch in Santo Domingo and makes its way through the rest of the town. It culminates in the evening with the naming of the Reyna Ning Aguman Sanduk, who is crowned with a lakal, a bamboo ring used in the kitchen on which a pot is placed.
What it is like today
The stunt succeeded in lifting people's spirits, and since then the Aguman Sanduk has been a much-anticipated yearly event.
Minalin has 15 barangays, and the festival allows a maximum of 30 participants per barangay. Each barrio is given funds to design and decorate their floats, which are also part of the competition.
The parade starts from Minalin's welcome arch in Santo Domingo and makes its way through the rest of the town. It culminates in the evening with the naming of the Reyna Ning Aguman Sanduk, who is crowned with a lakal, a bamboo ring used in the kitchen on which a pot is placed.
What it is like today
Jeff Gonzales, 36, joined this year to show his love for life despite losing his arms in an accident.
Some changes have been made to the festival over the years. In the past, only straight men were allowed to join the Aguman Sanduk, with their wives and mothers lending them clothes and putting makeup on them. “But at the start of year 2000, gays were allowed to participate since they contribute much to the organizing and planning of the event,” said Basilio Tayag, a resident of Barangay San Nicolas.
Another San Nicolas resident, 67-year-old Teresita Tayag Quilang, said that when she was a child, “there was still the zarzuela and basultu [lyric-dramatic plays] that come right after the participants parade through the whole town."
Another thing that has apparently changed is the idea that only handsome men who could transform into a beautiful ladies were chosen as Reyna Ning Aguman Sanduk. “In my younger years, more than 30 years ago, I was a consistent winner,” said Ricardo De La Cruz Buan, 63, proudly showing a photo of himself as a pretty queen of the ladle in the '70s.
Another San Nicolas resident, 67-year-old Teresita Tayag Quilang, said that when she was a child, “there was still the zarzuela and basultu [lyric-dramatic plays] that come right after the participants parade through the whole town."
Another thing that has apparently changed is the idea that only handsome men who could transform into a beautiful ladies were chosen as Reyna Ning Aguman Sanduk. “In my younger years, more than 30 years ago, I was a consistent winner,” said Ricardo De La Cruz Buan, 63, proudly showing a photo of himself as a pretty queen of the ladle in the '70s.
This year's Reina Ning Aguman Sanduk might not win any beauty pageants, but he is still a queen.
But one thing that has not changed about the festival is its ability to bring joy to the people of Minalin. “I have been part of the audience for this event for several years and it is my first time to join,” said Jeff Gonzales, a 36-year-old from Barangay Lourdes who lost both of his arms in an accident.
Gonzales threw himself into the festivities, gyrating his hips and dancing to Kapampangan songs. “I want them to see me and be happy. After all that happened in my life, I am still happy and I want people to see that and be inspired.” — BM, GMA News
Gonzales threw himself into the festivities, gyrating his hips and dancing to Kapampangan songs. “I want them to see me and be happy. After all that happened in my life, I am still happy and I want people to see that and be inspired.” — BM, GMA News
