Ginalutan Festival highlights Maripipi Fiesta 2015

by Ralph Arvic T. Arcenal
Photo by Maripipi TOWN Fiesta 2015

MARIPIPI, Biliran – Another pride of the island municipality of Maripipi – the Ginalutan Festival – a dance interpretation of Maripipians’ typical work which is pottery making, accompanied with lively music, colorful costumes and breathtaking choreography, highlighted this year’s annual town fiesta celebration in honor of their patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel.

Three contingents participated this year’s festival compteition namely: DepEd Elementary, Maripipi National Vocational School (MNVS) and Viga National High School (VNHS).

DepEd Elementary declared the champion also awarded as Best in Street Dancing. Meanwhile, MNVS and VNHS won 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Etymologically speaking, Ginalutan comes from Waray term “galot” which means clay soil. Coined with this term, the festival depicts how laborious the process of clay is before being crafted into ceramic products and thus giving the viewers an impression of Maripipian’s hardwork and dedication considering the fact that it was the main source of income of the early inhabitants, that brought recognition across borders for their artistic masterpieces.