Sasmuan, Pampanga
Encyclopedia
Sasmuan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines
. According to the latest census, it has a population of 26,630 people in 4,343 households.
". It was named "Sasmuan" because it is where the Pampangos meet when they were at war with the Chinese in Guagua.
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Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. According to the latest census, it has a population of 26,630 people in 4,343 households.
Etymology
The town's former name of "Sexmoan" was a misspelling made by the Spanish friars, attempting to pronounce "Sasmuan", the original and current name. It was derived from the Malayo-Polynesian word "pitagmuan" or "meeting place of the datusDatu
Datu is the title for tribal chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs in the Visayas and Mindanao Regions of the Philippines. Together with Lakan , Apo in Central and Northern Luzon, Sultan and Rajah, they are titles used for native royalty, and are still currently used in the Philippines...
". It was named "Sasmuan" because it is where the Pampangos meet when they were at war with the Chinese in Guagua.
History
Sasmuan already had a well-developed system of government well before the era of Spanish colonization. It evolved to be one of the oldest and major settlements in Pampanga by the 16th century. The Santa Lucia Church was one of the first Roman Catholic churches built in the Philippines by the Spaniards with the political and financial support of the PrincipaliaPrincipalia
The Principalía or noble class was the ruling and, usually, the educated upper class in the towns of colonial Philippines, composed of the Gobernadorcillo , and the Cabezas de Barangay who governed the districts. The distinction or status of being part of the Principalía is a heriditary right...
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Barangays
Sasmuan is politically subdivided into 12 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
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- Batang 1st
- Batang 2nd
- Mabuanbuan
- Malusac
- Santa Lucia (Pob.)
- San Antonio
- San Nicolas 1st
- San Nicolas 2nd
- San Pedro
- Santa Monica
- Santo Tomas
- Sebitanan
Economy
Sasmuan has a unique geography in that it is surrounded by fish ponds. Aquaculture has been the main industry that drives the local economy.Cuisine
- Polvoron- Roasted flour with sugar, milk, and butter or margarine.
- Tamales- Rice flour with shrimp gravy, garlic, and a little slice of boiled egg steamed in banana leaves.
- Palatpat- A sour fruit from a tree that grows in shallow waters. Often utilised as a condiment.
- Tabang Talangka- fat derived from talangka, a small breed of crab.
- Eko- a type of fish sauce.
- Taklang Dagis - A Stool from Dakung.
Fiesta San Juan
- Celebrated every June 24 in honour of St. John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
. Customarily, visitors to the town are doused with water in imitation of the saint's biblical role. A grand fluvial parade is conducted that lasts throughout the day.
Kuraldal Festival
- Celebrated every January 6 in honour of the town's patron saint, Saint LucySaint LucySaint Lucy , also known as Saint Lucia, was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. Her feast day in the West is 13 December; with a name derived from lux, lucis "light", she is the patron saint of those who are...
. This saint is believed to help not only the blind but women who wish to have fertility and to bear children.