Celebrate Sugarcane and Culture at the Vibrant Dapil Festival
Nestled within the lush valleys of the Philippines, the province of Abra comes alive every February with the vibrant Dapil Festival. This week-long celebration is a joyous tribute to the region's rich agricultural heritage, specifically its sugarcane industry.
Dapil Festival: A History Steeped in Tradition
The word "Dapil" derives from "panagdapil," the local term for the traditional method of extracting sugarcane juice. This process, once a common sight in farmhouses, involved a wooden machine called a "dadapilan." The dadapilan consisted of two large, interlocking logs turned by a carabao (water buffalo) to crush the sugarcane stalks and extract their sweet nectar.
The Dapil Festival was first launched in 2008 by the local government of Bangued, Abra's capital town, under the ...