There is no doubt that karagumoy runs across the gamut of Bulusan's rural life for centuries. From mats to hats to bay-ongs (bags/baskets) karagumoy rules. Karagumoy hat making is in fact one of the major and the most widely spread occupations in Bulusan next to fishing and farming. It is a big part in the town's cultural heritage as documented in several articles in http://pamughaton.wordpress.com/ a purely Bulusanon website.
Karagumoy hats could be seen all over Bulusan town on a sunny day. Hundreds of it drying under the sun by the roads, backyards of rural homes and even along the beaches of coastal villages.
However, it is only this Christmas of 2012 that a karagumoy hat and a banig (mat) provided a distinctly Bulusanon touch to the image of the Nativity (Belen). "The nipa hut concept of the Nativity is already a very common theme," says Father Fulay. "We wanted to make it more unique and typical of the place--what is identifiable to Bulusan." he adds during my afternoon visit to his parish to personally document the setting-up of the indigenous Nativity tableau.
Father Edu Fulay is the present Saint James the Greater Parish Priest. He suggested to his parishioners to utilize indigenous materials and crafts for this year's Belen to highlight what is distinctly Bulusanon. The design concept is his he added when asked about who did the design of the one-of-a-kind Belen.
Photos: Alma P. Gamil
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines
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