Guling-Guling Festival: a Time for Spiritual Renewal

“This is the moment when we reflect the coming of sacrifices, the pains, the difficulty of the last year, at the same time, giving thanks for having survived and being given God’s grace,” Governor Imee Marcos said during the celebration of Guling-Guling Festival in the town of Paoay.

This old-age festival of Paoay is a living vestige occasion that happens a day before Ash Wednesday.

Tagged as “Fat Tuesday,” the festival is a time of forgiving, reflection, and spiritual nourishment as it marks the start of the Lenten season.

One of the highlights in the celebration is the “guling,” an Ilocano word which means, smearing a cross sign on a person’s forehead to indicate pureness and forgiveness of sins. This is usually led by the town mayor.

Upon getting a guling, the locals abstain from eating pork and heavy meals as part of their spiritual alignment.

This tradition continues and is observed by young people who realize the importance of Lenten observance.

The festival is also a time for the townsfolk to showcase their local products such as Abel clothing and “dudol,” a traditional Ilocano rice cake.

Experiencing the Guling-Guling Festival is more than the street dance contests and merrymaking, but the heart of the festival which is to realign oneself in the immeasurable sacrifice of God for the salvation of humanity.

“Give to the Lord what is truly His- thanks, gratitude, and jubilation of the great thing He has given us,” the provincial governor ends.