'Festival of Lights' to open Kabkaban festivity in Carcar

A festival of lights in homage to Santa Catalina de Alexandria, the patroness of Carcar town, will open today's Kabkaban festivity in line with the town's annual religious feast.

The "Festival of Lights" will happen during the religious procession in veneration of St. Catherine of Alexandria, and also in recognition of the declaration of the parish church as a diocesan shrine of the Archdiocese of Cebu by Ricardo Cardinal Vidal last September.

Jerry Martin Noel Alfafara, public relations officer of Carcar town, said that the Carcar Heritage Conservation Society and St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish in cooperation with nine Carcar schools and the town's 15 barangays join forces to produce a new religious festival that aims to preserve the solemnity of the traditional Carcar religious evening procession.

Around 216 dancers from these nine schools will be tapped to be part of dance contingents that would don specially designed lantern headgears and carry pairs of hand lights that will "illuminate Sta. Catalina, as well as Carcar's heritage street lined with the town's largest, oldest and most famous heritage houses as the image of the patroness passes by during the evening procession.

Alfafara said that part of the Kabkaban festival is the second art auction of a andscape-oil-on-canvas painting by Carcar realist painting master Martin Abellana to be conducted at the Don Mariano Mercado House.

The "Seascape at Kwasi, Tuyom, Carcar" opening bid is P350,000 for this 24 1/2 inch by 30 1/2 inch oil on canvas masterwork.

Abellana painted "Seascape at Kwasi" on four consecutive Sunday afternoons during the summer of 1977 in one of his favorite painting spots, near the 16th century Bantayan sa Hari by the sea in barangay Tuyom. In this painting, it depicts high tide going out with two of his art students standing in the background beneath a bright blue sky.

Last year, during the first Kabkaban festival art auction, the "Semana Santa sa Carcar," an oil on canvas painting of Abellana's protégé, Romulo Galicano, was sold at P276,000.

Also, at least 11 Carcar artists will participate in a silent art auction and exhibit called "The Best of Carcar Artists" at the Don Mariano Mercado House. Admission is free for the silent auction on the first floor of the Mercado House gallery.

These Carcar artists are Gabby Abellana, Darby Vincent Alcoseba, Tony Alcoseba, Vidal Alcoseba, Dodong Cagigas, Pronnie dela Cerna, Luther Galicano, Dongkoy Tangarorang, Dongkoy Tallo, Walter Vestil and Carmelo Tamayo.

Alfafara said the paintings are on sale at specially reduced Kabkaban festival prices as these Carcar artists show their support in a fundraising project to help preserve Carcar's heritage, art and culture.

Further, he said that part of the proceeds will be for the benefit and programs of a local non-government organization, the Carcar Heritage Conservation Society.

The festival is derived from Carcar's old name, Kabkab, a variety of fern that is still most prominently seen growing on branches of sprawling rows of old acacia trees that line along the national highway in barangay Perrelos. - Garry B. Lao/MEEV