Carabao Carroza Festival and the Gayly Decorated Carroza (2024)

by Louise Angel Selorio and Ronn Briane Atud

Susan P. Jovero, Pavia’s Tourism officer, was born on May 8, 1960 in Pavia. She witnessed the first Carabao Carroza Festival when she was in grade school, May 3, 1973 at Brgy. Aganan River, on the actual river bank as incorporated by the mayor then, Hon. Nelson Gumban, together with DOT Director, Rudy Claparols, and with Tim Humayaw which worked at the Iloilo Museum, together they thought about a possible event to highlight the town fiesta which should happen during the bisperas.

The Carroza was an innovated float but was actually just a normal Carroza back then, but as time passed by during the 1980’s the Carroza was designed in a concept for parade as gayly decorated Carroza with decorations that are Agri-Industrial based highlight with a certain theme given each year. There are three simultaneous events the day before the actual town fiesta in order to celebrate its bisperas. The events are the Carabaro Carroza Parade, Carroza Race and search for Ms. Carabao Carroza. The actual concept of the town fiesta is like the rodeo system in the U.S. everybody howling on whose carabao will win the race. Susan started getting involved in the Carroza making process during her high school years where she helped in her barangay then which is Purok IV, during the year 1988.

The concept of the festival is to highlight the carabaos as man’s bestfriend and the Carroza which is their own type of transportation in the early years of the town being an agriculture land mainly for rice production, and considered as the rice basket of Iloilo. The Carrozas were designed in a way that it displays farm produced products to display our culture and heritage, and also for thanking their deities and gods for the bountiful harvest.

The first ever winner of the Carabao Carroza Race which happened on the actual riverbed of Aganan River is Brgy, Purok IV as they live nearest to the river and they train their carabaos very well. The display stage was the actual Aganan River Bridge. The most unusual experience for Susan was seeing the paper mache of a huge fruit basket by barangay Aganan which is a very wonderful work of art for her that displayed both the agricultural concept and creative side of the artist. During the 1970s to 1980s, the Carrozas were displayed freely in the town plaza for public viewing. The materials that are allowed to be used for making the Carrozas are industrial but as time goes by until the year 2000s, the use of nails, wood, and tapestry was allowed as well as the new industrial products produced by these barangays such as pottery and bricks, as well as foam.

The value system administered in making the Carroza is cooperation of the community which is expressed by the hard work given to the making of the Carroza itself, love for culture by celebrating the agricultural heritage of the town and displaying its products.

First Carabao Carroza Queen Lourdes Golez de Asis

The contribution of the Carroza making is mainly to display our love for our agriculture and to be able to celebrate their bountiful harvest and be proud of their agricultural products mainly. This is the first festival which is land based in Panay being a number one place for trade back then. It is the most consistent celebrated festival with complete 18 Carrozas displayed each year that shows each of the barangay’s creative sides and expression of their art from their love for their community and local agricultural products. Lastly, the Carrozas and the Carabao Carroza Festival in its own is the pride of each and every Pavianhon, which made a name for their town, contributed to their heritage and culture. A festival which created gigantic piece of art from simple agricultural products that are both industrial and indigenous made.

Fruit basket made of Paper Machete

2014 Carroza of Baranggay Anilao designed by Mr. Albino Hilaos Sr.

There are several visual artists that are involved in the actual making of the Gayly Decorated Carrozas that are considered as the highlight masterpiece of the Carabao Carroza parade together with the carabao that maneuvers it. These Carrozas are used as innovated floats where the 18 lovely candidates for Ms. Carabao Carroza sits during the parade. The gayly decorated carrozas are made by the designs of these artists which brings the best Carrabao Carroza awarded yearly.

The first Carroza maker and designer is Mr. Albino Hilaos Sr. of Brgy, Anilao, he was born during 1953 and started with the Carroza making process when he was around 30 years old. He lived in Pavia since he was born and was able to witness the first Carabao Carroza on May 3, 1973 on the riverbed of Aganan River. He said that, “the carabao race was the best festival that I have ever witnessed, all the people we’re howling and having the time of their lives. But nothing beats the feeling of being an awarded artist for making the best carroza.” He always took pride on his hard work in making a Carroza to win the festival.

The 2016 Carroza of Brgy. Pagsanga-an by Mr. Arthur Jusa

His process of making the Carroza starts with the thinking of the exact theme and design with the ideas coming from our indigenous materials that could be found in their barangay. The use of native products was the most prominent especially if it is mixed with a few synthetic materials. The most important part of making the Carroza is the labor time in which the whole barangay in the early years cooperated in building the beautiful Carrozas that we make especially in bringing in and designing the native products such as fruits on top of the Carroza

The second Carroza maker and designer is Mr. Arthur Jusa Sr. a 33 years old visual artist of Brgy, Pagsanga-an . He lived in his barangay since he was born but sadly he did not experience the first Carabao Carroza festival but it did not stop him to enter the Carroza making competition to show his creative abilities. He entered the competition almost a decade ago and ever since his works did not fail to belong in the top 3 best Carroza each year, as most of the time his Carroza is picked as the best designed Carroza. He was also the designer of the Carroza in which the first Carabao Carroza queen of their barangay, Shiela Mae Soronea, sat during the parade.

His style of making the Carroza is always based on the given theme of the Municipality. He brainstorms on what type of structure he would make and think of all the possible designs in which he could use the available indigenous materials and synthetic materials. The time in which both indigenous and synthetic materials are allowed in the Carroza Competition is also the time he started making Carrozas. One of his most unforgettable creation is the Carroza in which he designed a miniature nversion of the red-brick church of Pavia using red foam to serve as bricks. He wants to achieve as a visual artist is to make a beautiful creation not only to win the Carroza making competition but also to experience what we call “Buligay sa Barangay” or cooperation between the barangay officials and residents to create a work of art with great camaraderie of the whole barangay.

2014 Carroza of Purok III made by Mr. Whelmer Codico

The third Carroza maker and designer is Mr. Whelmer Codico, a 46 years old artist of Purok III. He lived in Pavia since birth and until now. He also experience the first ever Carabao Carroza Festival held in Aganan River. He remembers the scene even though he’s barely 4 years old in which he and his father sit on top of a tree on the side of the riverbank howling like rodeo fans on how intense was the first race. What he also remembered the most is the evolution of the Carrozas during the first Carroza race until now. It was not until the late 1980’s in which the Carroza was started to be decorated by actual fruits and started to become gayly decorated during the 1990’s up until now.

Mr, Whelmer is a visual artist who works in making the Carroza of their barangay as he is also elected as barangay kagawad. He thinks that the Carroza making and the whole Carabao Carroza festival is actually to appreciate their heritage, in which back then all the residents of the barangay helped in designing the whole Carroza which is life-sized, after the barangay officials finished making the frame. He thinks that by celebrating the Carabao Carroza festival it will always remind him of the kasadyahan of the parlor games, carabao race, and the whole Rural life of Pavia being once and until now an Agriculture land.

Carabao Carroza Festival and the Gayly Decorated Carroza (2024)

by Louise Angel Selorio and Ronn Briane Atud

References