THE HISTORY OF

NABUA
CONTENTS

 GOOD FRIDAY PROCESSION IN NABUA CAMARINES SUR

 MAP OF NABUA CAMARINES SUR PHILIPPINES
 TOURIST SPOT
 HISTORY
 LAND
 BARANGAY
 RELIGION
 LANGUAGE
 CUSTOM AND PRACTICES
WHAT IS NABUA?

 Nabua ( Rinconada Bicol: Banwaan ka Nabua; Tagalog: Bayan ng Nabua) is a

first class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According
to the 2015 census, it has a population of 83,874 people.

 The map of Nabua, Camarines Sur, Philippines.

 Nabua is the mother town of Iriga City, Buhi, Bato, Balatan, Bula and Baao in
Camarines Sur.
 Nabua has five districts: Atacudos, Binoyoan, Caobnan, Lupa and Sabang.
 Nabua, Camarines Sur. Update on July 27, 2022 sign in.
 Country Philippines province of Camarines Sur. Founded on July 25, 1569. Local
time Monday 4:25 AM
 Bicol Region (Region V)
 Districts. 4th districts.
 Barangay 42 Nabua, Camarines Sur
 Neighborhoods Malawag, San Roque Poblasion, San Esteban University Camarines
Sur Polytechnic Colleges.

Good Friday procession in Nabua Camarines Sur. On march 2016

HISTORY OF NABUA

 The Municipality of Nabua traces the historical origin of its name way back during
the Spanish Colonization. It was said that in 1571, an Augustinian Friar named
Fray Alonzo Gimenez reached one of the rancherias called Lupa which was then
under Datu Panga from Borneo. The good friar found persons inside the said
rancheria cutting coconuts. He was offered to partake the inside shoot of coconut
which the natives called “BOA”. Immediately, the good friar tagged the place as
“NABUA” pronounced with his Spanish Accent. From that time onwards this
place become popularly known as NABUA.
 In another version, a historian named Fray Felix Huerta claimed that the name
came from the story that the original sitio of the town is in the shape of the
“BOA”, young embryo of the coconut which was surrounded by five rancherias
named Lupa, Antacodos, Sabang, Caobnan and Binoyoan. Other believe
otherwise and said it was centrally located in the middle of said rancherias thus
closely resembling a delicious “BOA” which children loved to eat. For a time, the
town was called “NABOBOWA” but years of long usage shortened and corrupted
it to the present name of NABUA.
 In 1578, a group of Franciscan missionaries by Fray Pablo de Jesus and Fray
Bartolome Ruiz put up a church in a place known as Antacodos and there they
placed a big cross. These missionaries soon merged the villages of Lupa,
Antacodos, Sabang and Binoyoan into one place, which at present is known as
the town of Nabua. The name Nabua was originally a longer one, Naboboa,
from boa, the word for a young coconut embryo.
 In a research mission to Spain funded by the municipality, it was learned that
Nabua was officially established as a municipality on July 25, 1569.
 Based on the 1734 Murillo-Velarde map, one of the earliest cartographical maps
of the Philippine archipelago, the town is identified as NAVA - a Spanish name
indicating a "level piece of ground". This is probably the apt description of the
place at that time, and until the present time, a flat terrain stretching from the
shores of the lakes of Bato and Baao and nestled in the plains between Mt. Iriga
and the mountains of Bula (which is on the other side of the map) and the then
Pantao, as shown in the map.
 Land The municipality of Nabua is one land mass containing a total land area of
8,854.4193 hectares. This total land area distributed among the 42 barangays, nine
of which are considered as urban barangays; namely, San Antonio (Poblacion),
San Esteban, San Francisco, San Juan, San Luis, San Isidro, San Miguel, San
Nicolas, San Roque (Poblacion) and 33 are considered as rural barangays. Among
the urban barangays, San Antonio (Poblacion) has the biggest land area of
234.1798 hectares while San Luis has the least land area of 2.1746 hectares. In the
rural barangays, La Purisima has the largest land area as well as in the entire
municipality of 428.1501 hectares while San Roque Madawon has the smallest
land area of 76.3228 hectares.
 The municipality of Nabua given its land mass is entirely classified as alienable
and disposable lands. Previous land classification has its slight share of
forestlands but was absorbed by the adjacent municipality of Balatan which
requires political solution.
 Historically, the municipal population has experienced positive growth rate,
beginning in Censal Year 1903 up to 1999. Municipal population records show
only one exception in Censal Year 1970 where the municipal population
decreased. This population shift in number can be attributed to migration patterns
due to socio-economic reasons. Thus, from a mere population size of 18,893 in
1903, the current municipal population more than tripled in size for 1999.
 Spread out among the 42 barangays of Nabua, there are 10,093 persons living in
the urban barangays while 65,329 persons live in the rural barangays. Among
urban barangays, San Antonio Poblacion has the largest population with 2,363
persons while San Luis has the smallest with 358 persons. For rural barangays, La
Purisima has the largest population with 8,165 persons while Salvacion Que
Gatos has the lowest with a population of 523 persons.
RELIGION

 Many Nabueños are followers of Catholicism which is very apparent to the names of
several barangays which bear the names of Catholic patron saints. However, culture,
festivals and practices are of mixed Catholic and local beliefs of Bicolanos of pre-Spanish
period. Iglesia ni Cristo on the other hand is the largest minority religion with several
local congregations in the municipality and is growing rapidly.
 LANGUAGE

 The Nabua-Balatan variant under lowland dialect (sinaranəw) of Rinconada Bikol can be
considered having its base from the Bikol languages. However, there are other smaller social
groups within the Bicol region where Nabua derives the foundation of its variant. The Rinconada
area composed of Baao, Buhi, Bula, Balatan, Bato, Nabua and Iriga shares the same Rinconada
Bikol language that the local folks are still enriching up to this day.
 The Nabua-Balatan variant can be easily recognized by the way they enunciate words or phrases
when they talk or use the language. For being the mother town of all the municipalities and city in
Rinconada area, the Nabua-Balatan variant is considered by linguistics as one of the foundation
variants of Rinconada Bikol language.
 Additionally, Spanish influences are frequently encountered in the languages of
Nabuenos. Some examples of Spanish words embedded in the local dialect are:
“Abreyā raw iton puertan.” This is a command statement, meaning “Open the
door” in English or “Buksan ang pintuan” in the Filipino language. The word
“abreyā” is an inflection of the Spanish verb “abrir” (to open), and “puertan” is a
shorten word of "puertāhan" which is from the Spanish word “puerta”. Other
variations of Spanish words being used in the Nabua-Balatan variant can be
found, but many of these words or terms due to usage over time do not follow
proper Spanish language conjugations and grammar.
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

 Nabua has a rich array of customs and

colorful practices that are found up to the
present day.
PANGARANA

 This is the Nabua version of “serenading”. When a man wants to show his intent
to court a woman, the man (sometimes accompanied by his friends) armed with a
guitar or possibly a karaoke machine shows up on the woman’s doorsteps
unannounced late at night. The woman or her family have either the option to turn
on the lights and acknowledge the serenaders or just ignore them. In some cases,
the event turns into an unforgettable event as the woman’s family may come up
with some unique ways to get the serenaders out of their property, such as
throwing a bucketful of hot water or unleashing “bantay”, the household watch
dog.
Pa-aurora

 The local folks are religious in nature so it is common for them to make a
religious promise or ‘panata’ expressing their exultation to God because of a
bountiful harvest or they have a petition that they wish would be granted. This is
manifested through the local practice of “Aurora”. On nine consecutive nights,
they would decorate an improvised "carroza" for their local patron saint and then
visit the households in the neighborhood with singing and prayers.
Pista sa mga kalag

 On November 1, nearly all citizens take a trip down to the cemetery.

This is their practice of honoring and remembering departed loved
ones. They would offer flowers and light candles in their
tombstones, sarcophagus, or decorate the family mausoleum with
flowers and food. The local cemetery comes alive the night of
November 1 to commemorate All Saints Day until the early morning
of November 2 for All Souls Day. Masses at the cemetery are often
offered on both days.
Tang-gal kin Cuaresma

 During the season of Lent, some of the prominent families

in Nabua will sponsor a “Tang-gal”. Tang-gal is the re-
enactment of Jesus Christ’s Passion and Death on the
cross. After the passion of Christ is re-enacted, the “tang-
gal” is concluded with “Ire-Helena”, the story of Helene
and Constantine in search of the True Cross.
Pag-li-li

 When a family member or loved one dies, the family,

friends and relatives of the dead offer nine days of prayers.
This is the nine days of mourning where they go to the
local church to attend Mass and then continue their novena
prayers at the house of the deceased. Prayers are offered to
help the soul of the deceased rest in peace and at the same
time to console the grieving family.
Katapusan

 After forty days of mourning, the family, friends and relatives of the
dead celebrate the passage by hosting a feast and invite all those
who consoled them in their time of grief. Once everyone invited are
gathered, they say the litanies and pray the Rosary of the Most
Blessed Virgin Mary. Local folks believe that the soul of their dead
have now passed the stage of “roaming” and ready to rest in eternal
peace. This is the time to let go and as a symbolism, they can now
wear other colors of clothing instead of the traditional all black or all
white.
Dotoc

Before the baranggay fiesta, "Dotoc" is a

custom of nabueñans in honoring their
patron saint through nine nights of
thanksgiving.
Among the celebrations and local sites in
the town includes:
 Nabua celebrates its fiesta with the now-famous Annual Boa-
Boahan Festival on the third of May. The highlight of the festival is
the reenactment of the traditional "Boa Feast," a 13th-century rite
where ancient Bicolanos offered chains of coconut embryos called
boa to their pagan deities, in the belief that this would give them
ample harvests, favorable weather, and make their lives more
prosperous and happy throughout the year. The feast is enlivened
with frenzied street theater, heart-pounding street dances and
spectacles, and a riveting display of colorful and dazzling ethnic
costumes.
 The over 400-year-old church of Nabua known as
the Vicariate of the Holy Cross is a prominent
landmark along the national diversion road
connecting the municipality of Baao directly to this
town without passing the city of Iriga .
 Starting from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, you will find 400-year-old religious
customs and traditions being celebrated by the locals.

 Semana Santa starts with the Palm Sunday procession and blessing of Palms. On
Holy Wednesday and Good Friday, the Processions of 'Pasos' are solemnly held to
depict the Passion of the Christ. To commemorate Christ's resurrection, the "Balo-
balu" is celebrated the night of Black Saturday and then the "Ton-ton" at dawn on
Easter Sunday after the "Salubong" procession. Existing local industries such as
bamboo craft, handloom weaving, woodcraft and basketry derived from available
raw materials.
group2
 MELODY ABONALLA
 MICAH PRINCESS APONDAR
 CHRISTINE ESPALMADO
 CAREN BENICO
 HELEN LOTERINIA