Paracale celebrates 27th Pabirik Festival

Paracale, Camarines Norte – The people of the gold-rich town of Paracale in Camarines Norte, commemorate the 27th Pabirik Festival in honor of the 414 years old image of Paracale Nuestra Señora de Candelaria fondly called by the Paracaleños as “Inay Candi”.

Inay Candi is the patron saint of Paracale town. Para cale means “canal digger”. Pabirik Festival is a celebration of rich cultural heritage, tradition, and the gold miners aside from religious festivity. “Pabirik” depicts the traditional way of gold panning industry symbolizing the town’s legacy as a “pot of gold” mining town in Bicol specifically in Camarines Norte.

Mayor Romeo Moreno of Paracale town said the festival not only honors Paracale’s rich history, religiosity but also symbolizes the resiliency and craftsmanship of the people.

“Pabirik festival recognizes the ingenuity of the people of Paracale, the unique craftsmanship showcased by the Paracaleños from gold panning to finished products of the artisans. But beyond the celebration we deeply honor our patron saint Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, fondly called Inay Candi,” Mayor Moreno said.

Moreno said that yearly, the “Ginintuan Bayan” (Golden town) is showcasing the Paracalenos’ way of life through artisan craftsmanship and the celebration of faith to Inay Candi.

The celebration features the rich mining industry and gold jewelry competition made manually by the locals. Gold mining is the daily activities of the people on a small scale through gold panning from the mountain, rivers and on the shorelines through “pabirik”.

“Pabirik is a basic round wood mining tool utilized by the gold panners or diggers of Paracale utilized for panning to get a piece or a chunk of gold.

Gold panning activities are the way of life of the people across the 27 barangays of the municipality of Paracale wherein majority of the town’s population rely on small-scale mining and artisan.

The town’s municipal building features a mini-museum displaying unique jewelry pieces made by the local artisans from locally sourced gold, highlighting the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the locals.

But the highlight of the Pabirik festival in Paracale is the fluvial and procession of the miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria.

Before the fluvial procession, the Paracale is experiencing a weeklong heavy rainfall while the sea is raging with big waves.

But on February 1, the weather suddenly changed as the gloomy weather became sunny while the raging seas suddenly calmed when the image was heading to the sea passing through the Paracale River.

The locals and pilgrims believe that Inay Candi tamed the raging seas and the bad weather to let the people see and joined the fluvial procession. – BY RHAYDZ BARCIA