CASSAVA FESTIVAL

Camotes Cassava Festival        Camotes Cassava Festival is an annual harvest thanksgiving celebration being held by the locals of Tudela, Camotes Islands in Cebu Province. The town celebrates the festivity in line with religious aspects by holding the events recognizing the town’s patron – Mary Immaculate. To emphasize that connection, the festival is being held during the first two weeks of June (from around June 4-15). However, aside from its religious association, it is fundamentally a festival celebrating the bountiful harvest of the local crops – cassava (‘kamoteng kahoy’) and sweet potato (‘kamote’). “Kamote”, which is believed to be the source of the island’s present name, refers to both crops – cassava and sweet potato. Farmers recognized these two root crops as staple foods that support their livelihood. Interestingly, when farmers are done preparing their crops and waiting for harvest, they have time to do other work – that is – fishing. The island is surr...