Aside from these age-old houses and building that truly manifest the historicity of the town of Argao; there are also several very venerable social activities that are still being practiced in modern-day Argao. Some of these activities include indigenous livelihood that predated the arrival of the Spaniards. Two livelihoods that are common throughout the archipelago are fishing and farming, the primary source of income of most families prior to and during the Spanish era. These two livelihoods are still prevalent today and visitors to Argao can make arrangements to stay with and observe some of the farming and fishing families. Then, of course, there are also two other very famous and unique industries in Argao. These are, of course, the baking of traditional delicacies like Torta de Argao, borowas, podrida, and tableya. The other surviving traditional craft is weaving or hablon..
It is said that no house in Argao is complete during fiestas without a torta, and indeed many households even make their own tortas during fiesta. While the torta-making business used to be a popular livelihood in Argao, most households prefer to make these only during special occasions, and for those who still engage in selling torta, most of these prefer to have the tortas pre-ordered. The most popular torta-maker in Argao today, known not only because of her delicious traditional ingredients used but also because her torta is baked in the traditional clay oven. She remains the only year-round seller of torta and is perhaps one of the very last Argawanons to still follow the traditional process of baking the delicacy, is Mrs. Aniceta “Chitang” Camello. Nang Chitang said that this is also a family tradition. A visit in Argao would never be complete without a stop-over at Chitang’s Torta.
Tableya, Today, many households and stalls in the public market make and sell this delicious Cebuano delicacy. Indeed, it is said that no breakfast in Cebu is complete without the hot sikuwate, or hot chocolate, which is made from cacao. The tableya-making industry of Argao is indeed traced to a time when only legends were available to explain the origin of things. According to well-guarded stories in Argao, the cultivation of cacao was a common source of livelihood of many indigenous Argawanons in the past. The most popular tableya maker in the town today is Mrs. Miguela “Guilang” Lanoton, whose house in Canbanua serves also as the site of tableya production. According to her, their family started with small-scale production until they decided to commercialize this art in 1948.
As already mentioned earlier, the other indigenous livelihood that still exists in Argao is the hablon or weaving industry. If one goes through the old records of the church, one would notice that most women during the Spanish era were listed as tejedoras or weavers and were engaged in hablon-making. Indeed, older Argawanon women still recall that their grandmothers, and their grandmothers before them, made the finest hablons that were sold not just to the principalia in the town but also to elite families in Cebu City. A visit to any of the remaining hablonans in the town is easy to arrange, and one can see just how intricate and complex the procedure is in making one simple towel or sheet. Today, some of the weavers in Argao have branched out of the town and sell their products to hotels and resorts. So the next time you buy a towel from a hotel or resort, you just might be holding one that was made in Argao.
There are also some other traditional, albeit not as old, industries that thrive in Argao. These include tuba/bahalina-making, wood-carving
Aside from these activities, which provide income to the residents of Argao, there are also some activities that, though also observable in other localities, are worth looking for when one visits Argao. Year round activities include, but are not limited to, guided panginhas, or shell-gathering, if ones pursuit is that of a quiet and serene afternoon. Any fishing family will be very glad to show your way around the beach and guide you in panginhas; tigabakay or cock-fighting, a little bit different from the usual cock-fighting sport done inside a gymnasium or arena. The tigbakay involves pitting fighting cocks in the streets. Of course the famous tabo-tabo. Take advantage of extremely cheap merchandise by going to the tabo-tabo at the Mercado sa Argao. These tabos boast of fresh fruits and vegetables, livestock, household wares, clothes, and many more.
Walking, hiking, jogging, or plain sight-seeing are simple pursuits than can be done within the vicinity of the Poblacion and surrounding barangays. Enjoy a walk around Don Gil Gardens, a long stretch of road going to Argao Nature Park perfect for early morning or late afternoon jogging or walking, or even picnics. Enjoy watching the sunrise or sunset in wide open space of the rice fields, and get a chance to watch wild egrets feeding. Argao Nature Park is also another perfect destination for those with quiet pleasures. Walk under big trees or sit by the lagoon area while watching different and some rare birds around the park. Nearby Argao you can visit the "Riverstone Castle", considered as the “only authentic castle in Cebu. The Castle is made up of stones collected from the nearby river and was constructed using authentic castle-building procedures. Outside the castle, there’s a mini zoo, a collection of monkeys, snakes, rabbits, civets, and other unique animals.
There are also other socio-cultural activities that are done in certain times of the year. These are the Fiesta activities and the celebration of the Holy Week, which showcases the traditional aspects of this Lenten activity to include the colorful procession on Holy Wednesday and Friday. A sugat play is also conducted by the church on the dawn of Easter Sunday.
One can also participate in street-dancing or bayle, many of which are held by the barangays of Argao during their respective fiestas spread throughout the year. If you’re in Argao during one of the barangay fiestas, be sure to attend the bayle so you’ll see how Argawanons party!
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