Nito-Talahib Festival
The Nito-Talahib Festival has officially started! Come and celebrate with us on this week-long special occasion showcasing Manito’s traditions, culture, heritage, talent, and beauty!
The festival, celebrated every October, brings honor to the nito-talahib, also known as common grass or kans grass, which plays a vital part in the history of their place and the people’s lives.
The municipality was named Manito by the early settlers because the place is rich in nito, a clinging vine that belongs to the rattan family.
Thousands of devotees and visitors gather and participate in the nine-day celebration of the Nito and Talahib Festival, one of the festivals in the Philippines in honor of St. Raphael Archangel, the town’s patron, on October 15-24 in Manito, Albay.
The aim was to revive interest in nito, which used to grow widely and abundantly in Manito. The town’s name was derived from this local crop.
Talahib, known internationally as tiger grass, has provided a livelihood for many. Quality soft brooms are produced out of this material and marketed in neighboring as well as distant towns and cities making Manito one of the best producers of soft brooms in the country.