Putong Gaseño

The third part of "putong" starts after the crowning ceremony, and the tempo of the song becomes an exuberant melody. Shouts of Viva and Mabuhay ring through the air. Everybody casts flowers towards the celebrant. This is the cue for the host and other guests to throw candies, coins and paper bills towards the "mamumutong", which add to the general merriment as the children and adults alike, scamper after the bounty. Squeals and laughter fill the air at this part of ceremony. Everybody starts dancing while blessing the newly crowned-saint a good life ahead. The "mamumutong" tells the celebrant that the flowers they toss came from the Virgin Mary and brought to the earth by the angels. Towards the end of the song everybody shouts Mabuhay! The belief is that the patron saint of the celebrant rejoices at this event and thereby intercedes with God to give the celebrant long life and happiness.

After the putong, comes the "salo-salo" (connotes partaking of food, drinks and stories). A Filipino noodle called "pansit" is serve as this is thought to bring long life to the celebrant, simply because it is a long noodle. The salo-salo also gives the mamumutong a chance to talk to the celebrant and to know more about him or her. Sometimes, the celebrant asks the mamumutong to sign the crown as a keepsake. It is a common practice to keep the crown for good luck.

No one has yet determined the exact origin of putong. This becomes a challenge to our cultural researchers. The absence of written documentation and the practice of our old folks to burn the possession of the dead kept us from knowing the exact origin of this wonderful tradition. Nonetheless, putong is here to stay and Marinduqueños will always welcome all visitors and give them the opportunity to become royalties and saints even for a moment.