"Boling-Boling" is an old age practice particular to Catanauanins,which is celebrated annually from the Sunday preceding Ash Wednesday until Tuesday,and signals the start of the Lenten Season. "Boling-Boling" comes from the Visayan word "Boling" which means dirt. This reminds us that we are sinners and that we need to repent,do some spiritual cleansing and get ourselves ready for the Lenten Season.

Participants roam around the town garbed in any costume they may fancy. Most of them wear colourful clown-like clothes while others imitate anybody whom they despise and make fun of them. Additionally,senior women wearing brightly coloured dresses and hats with flowers sing and dance from one house to another to solicit cash donations,half of which is given to the local Parish Church for its expenses during the Lenten Season activities and the other half for their own group's civic projects. Some men skimpily clad in their undergarments put on mud or grease with charcoal all over their bodies and roam around the town trying to scare young women and children for fun. For these reasons,it has been referred to as the Pinoy version of Carnival.


Getting there:

Catanauan is a charming and idyllic little fishing town in Quezon,the capital of Bondoc Peninsula. Directly facing the island of Marinduque,it is about 250 km from Manila. One can take a bus from JAC liner along EDSA to Lucena City,and take a connecting van or jeep from the terminal.