Kuraldal Festival Sasmuan: Dates and Guide
Last reviewed: 12 September 2026.
Kuraldal is a devotion in Sasmuan, Pampanga, centred on Santa Lucia. The January gathering is Kuraldal Atlung Ari, around the Feast of the Three Kings. The 2026 observance has passed. This page will not invent a dictionary gloss or a costume colour as the meaning.
| At a glance | What to use |
|---|---|
| Place | Sasmuan, Pampanga |
| Devotion | Santa Lucia |
| January anchor | Kuraldal Atlung Ari, around the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January |
| Also tied to | The feast of Santa Lucia on 13 December, which opens the season in local accounts |
| 2026 | The January gathering has passed |
| What it is not | A street-dance contest with a fixed Thursday after Epiphany, or a word this page can define from a blog |
What it is
SunStar, on 4 January 2026, described residents and devotees ending the Christmas season with Kuraldal Atlung Ari, a gathering of prayers and petitions around Santa Lucia. The report says the celebration is associated with the feast of Santa Lucia and with the Feast of the Three Kings. It also notes that the Augustinian chronicler Gaspar de San Agustin recorded veneration of St Lucy in Sasmuan, and it quotes researcher Nina Tomen on the town opening its homes to pilgrims. That is the documented rite. A line that says the festival has no fixed date and also starts on 6 January is a contradiction. Do not use it.
What the name does not have, on this page
Searchers often want a one-word meaning for kuraldal. The sources used here do not give a reliable dictionary gloss, and a guessed translation would be worse than none. What you can say is the event: a Sasmuan devotion to Santa Lucia, with dancing and petitions, and a January gathering called Kuraldal Atlung Ari at Epiphany. Atlung Ari is the Three Kings.
Dates
Epiphany is 6 January. That is the feast the 2026 news report attached to Kuraldal Atlung Ari. The reporter’s line ‘every January 6, 2025’ is a year typo in a story published on 4 January 2026. The season is longer than that one morning if you follow the Santa Lucia link back to 13 December. Parish hours and the finale are local. As of 12 September 2026 the last January gathering is over. Confirm the next year’s order of days with the Sasmuan parish or the municipality.
If you go
- This is a vow and a petition, including for the sick. Do not block the church door for a photo.
- Pink and white costumes on older write-ups are not a rule you can verify from the 2026 news report. Dress for a church town, not a carnival.
- Sasmuan is a coastal town. January transport is ordinary provincial roads, not a closed festival shuttle.
- Do not copy a ‘first Thursday after Epiphany’ date from an unsourced page. Use the parish.
Confirm it here
- SunStar, 4 January 2026: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/sasmuan-folk-all-set-for-kuraldal-atlung-hari
- Municipality of Sasmuan: https://sasmuan.gov.ph/
- Calendar hub: https://festivepinoy.com/festivals-in-the-philippines-complete-guide/
Frequently asked questions
When is the Kuraldal Festival?
In Sasmuan, Pampanga. The January gathering, Kuraldal Atlung Ari, is around the Feast of the Three Kings on 6 January. The season is also tied to Santa Lucia on 13 December. The 2026 January rite has passed.
What does Kuraldal mean?
The sources used for this page do not support a single dictionary gloss. Atlung Ari refers to the Three Kings. The documented event is a devotion to Santa Lucia.
Where is Kuraldal held?
In Sasmuan, Pampanga, at the church and in the town. It is not a Pampanga-wide parade.
What happens at Kuraldal?
Devotees come with prayers and petitions to Santa Lucia. The January gathering ends the Christmas season in the town. It is a religious festival, not a street-dance competition.
Is 6 January 2027 the whole festival?
It is the Epiphany date the gathering is tied to. The season can start earlier, at Santa Lucia’s feast. Confirm the parish schedule before you travel.
