Limasawa treats foreigners to a day of fun
TACLOBAN CITY – Like what their ancestors did some 494 years ago, the people of the island town of Limasawa recently welcomed scores of foreigners to its shore for a day of fun.
On March 31, 1521, a Portuguese explorer in command of a Spanish Fleet named Ferdinand Magellan, together with about 50 of his men, landed on the shore of what is now known as Barangay Magallanes in Limasawa for a historic event.
FIRST MASS
It was Easter Sunday,and the foreigners with some natives in attendance celebrated Mass, which turned out to be the First Catholic Mass in the Philippines and in Asia.
Magellan also planted a wooden cross atop a mountain, and this signaled the start of the move to Christianize the country.
In their brief stay, Magellan and his men were treated with native wine and food, had some entertainment and were toured around the village.
On Monday, February 23, 2015, more than 50 modern-day tourists saw this historic event pass before their eyes as a group of Limasawa teenagers, in colorful attire and with their smooth dance moves, reenacted the event at the village plaza in Magallanes.
LIFE IN THE PAST
Aside form the celebration of the Mass and the planting of the cross, the presentation also included the way of life of the natives,including their religious belief and the wedding the King Kulambo to his five wives [the name Limasawa was supposedly derived from the conjunction of the words words Lima (five) and Asawa (wives)].
Likewise presented was the natives' way of life, from farming, teaching the native language (Baybayin) up to tattooing (the people then of Samar and Leyte as well as in other Visayan island were called “Pintados” or painted people because of their tattoos).
But it was after the ground presentation that the guests were able to show the happiness when they danced with gusto with the costumed participants.
They also had a taste of local delicacies, the chance to have a tattoo (henna), and a day of fun intermingling with the locals.
CRUISE SHIP
The tourists arrived on board rubber boats coming from the cruise ship Caledonian Sky, which was docked off the shore of Magallanes. The ship is on an 21-day trip in the Philippines under the Zegrahm Expeditions, said to be a world leader in small-ship cruising and overland adventures.
Aside from Capul in Northern Samar, which they earlier visited, Caledonian Sky will also be in Puerto Princesa, El Nido, St. Paul’s Natural Park, Coron, Sibuyan island, Donsol, Ticao island, Cagayan de Oro, Pamilacan island, Camiguin island and Balicasag in Bohol this month.
The tourists, it appeared, had enjoyed every minute of their brief stay in Limasawa. Since they first foot on the shore of Magallanes, where they were welcomed by a group led by Limasawa Mayor Melchor Petracorta and DOT Regional Director Karen Tiopes, up to the time they left after watching the reenactment at the plaza, the tourists a smile on their face.
WHALESHARK INTERACTION
But it was not only in Limasawa that the tourists find happiness that day. They also had fun that day in another part of Southern Leyte.
Although they had to wait for several minutes for the star of the show – the whaleshark – they immediately rushed and, wearing their snorkeling gadgets, dove into the water when it was announced that the start has arrived. That part of Son-ok point in Pintuyan, Southern Leyte immediately become filled with a sea of swimming tourists.
For sure, the memory of the interaction with the whaleshark in Pintuyan and the re-enaction of the historic event in Limasawa would last for a lifetime to these tourists. It was a day that they had much fun! (This article was first published in the Manila News Online)
