THE Tayuran Festival in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion marked its second year with expanded activities.
Last year’s inaugural festival edition only had a festival queen pageant; this year, it was expanded to include competitions for ritual showdown and street dancing.
Former Tayud Barangay Captain Blessilda “Bingol” Villo, the festival’s founder, told reporters that she was satisfied with this year’s event, which took place under the Cansaga Bay Bridge on Sunday, July 28, 2024.
Five contingents, representing 10 sitios of Tayud, participated in the event.
Tribu Ba-East won in the ritual showdown category, while Tribu Bagawagan claimed victory in the street dancing competition.
VC Jean Baquer of Pundok Makugihong ug Mahigugmaong Tayuranon was crowned as festival queen.
Villo, in a press conference on Thursday, Aug. 1, said that the festival’s name and concept are rooted in Tayud’s history.
“We conducted research because I want the festival to be research-based,” she said.
She said the term “Tayuran” refers to someone struck by a weapon that remained embedded in their body, a nod to the area’s history of coastal raids.
Despite limited support from the local government, the Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay Tayud took charge of organizing the event, allocating P20,000 for each of the five contingents. Each group consisted of 60 dancers and propsmen aged 15 to 30.
Villo envisions the Tayuran Festival becoming one of Cebu’s major cultural events.
She aims to attract contingents from across the province and potentially from companies and other localities in the future, similar to the renowned Sinulog Festival.
With a population of around 30,000 spread across 10 sitios, Tayud is the largest barangay in Consolacion.
Villo hopes the festival’s growth will boost local tourism, showcasing Tayud’s famous oysters and peanuts while preserving its unique cultural heritage. / CAV