Apalit, Pampanga may as well be known as the home of religious Cabalens. The municipality houses religious areas and hosts events and festivals with most of its residents considered as Christians.
Most of them practice Catholicism, however, aside from that, there are also different religions seen in the townspeople such as Muslim Mosque, Seventh Day Adventist, United Methodist, Jehovah’s Witness and other evangelical churches.
You don’t have to worry about finding a Cabalen that shares and practices the same faith as you as the religions in the area have diversified and different churches for each religion also stands for the people to practice their faith in.
For Members Church of God International (Ang Dating Daan), their 60-hectare main headquarters stands in barangay Sampaloc, Apalit. The area houses the ADD Convention Center which is a multipurpose venue for major church gatherings, community prayer, indoctrinations sessions, and other worship services. There are also other infrastructures like a museum, orphanages, hospital, and a school for its constituents.
The members of the Catholic Church celebrated the Apung Iru Fluvial Festival in Apalit as well. It is held yearly every June 28-30 and is the feast day of the patron of the town. The term “Apung Iru” refers to the image of the patron saint Peter.
With the huge number of Catholics in the town, Apung Iru Fluvial Festival is a large-scale festivity. The colorful fluvial procession that occurs is every devotee’s much awaited activity of the celebration.
The festival celebrates the image of Apung Iru which shows its ivory face and hands. The image is an heirloom passed down from generations to generations of ancient Apalit families and dates from the last quarter of the 1700s.
On the first day of the festival (June 28), the fluvial procession, with its colorful and decorated float, carries the image from Capalangan to Apalit Parish Church. They travel through the Pampanga River with other boats along them filled with devotees who would like to escort the image.
Through the transport of the sacred image, devotees would give praise, sing religious hymns, and dance with it. They would also douse others with water playfully and wave flowers and branches. “Kuraldal” is a traditional dance that they perform as the image passes them as a way of welcoming the town’s patron in their area.
After the float, an equally colorful and beautiful pagoda is set up to bring the holy image to the church. The image will then stay in the church until the last day of the festival where it would be transported back to its original place through the same way and place.
Locals and devotees celebrate Apung Iru Fluvial Festival as a way of thanking their town’s patron saint for looking over for them. This festivity has been going on around for years now and is a part of their culture and tradition. Aside from the main activity, other events such as trade fairs, pageants, local competitions and cultural shows are also held.
Apalit is surrounded by Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin and San Simon in Pampanga, and Calumpit, Pulilan, and Baliuag in Bulacan. Apalit is 55 kilometres (34 mi) from Manila, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from the provincial capital, San Fernando, and 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Angeles.
