Editing Carabao (section)

==In culture==
===Festivals===
[[File:0394ajfKneeling Carabaos Festival Pulilan Fiestafvf 16.jpg|thumb|A painted carabao in the Kneeling Carabao Festival of [[Pulilan, Bulacan]]]]

The carabao is featured in numerous festivals ({{lang|fil|fiestas}}) in the Philippines due to its important role in rural farming communities. The festivals which feature carabaos prominently include:<ref name="Irang">{{cite journal |last1=Irang |first1=Ma. Cecilia C. |title=How the carabao is honored in different PH festivities |journal=PCC Newsletter |date=2015 |volume=14 |issue=2 |page=33 |url=https://www.pcc.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/newsletter-vol-14-no2.pdf}}</ref>

* Pasungay Festival ([[San Joaquin, Iloilo]]) - A religious festival honoring [[Sto. Niño]] held every 3rd Saturday of January. The highlight of the festival is a traditional fight between two bull carabaos.
* Kariton Festival ([[Licab, Nueva Ecija]]) - A cultural festival held every last Saturday of March. It celebrates the carabao-drawn cart ({{lang|tl|kariton}}) used by the town's founding father.
* Kesong Puti Festival ([[Sta. Cruz, Laguna]]) - A cultural festival held from April 1 to 9 celebrating the traditional [[kesong puti]] industry.
* Karbo Festival ([[Vigan, Ilocos Sur]]) - A cultural festival held on the first week of May. It features a parade of painted carabaos. The name of the festival is derived from the local term for carabao.
* Carabao-Carroza Festival ([[Pavia, Iloilo]]) - A cultural festival held on May 3. It is the oldest festival of its kind and features a parade of colorful decorated carabao sleds.
* Gatas ng Kalabaw Festival ([[Nueva Ecija]]) - A provincial festival held on the second week of May aiming to promote carabao milk.
* Pastillas Festival ([[San Miguel, Bulacan]]) - A cultural festival held from May 5 to 7. It is a celebration of the town's traditional and iconic ''[[pastillas de leche]]'' industry which is made from carabao milk.
* Kneeling Carabao Festival ([[Pulilan, Bulacan]]) - A religious festival held on May 14. The highlight of the event is the kneeling of carabaos as they pass in front of the town church.
* [[Pahiyas Festival]] ([[Lucban, Quezon]]) - A century-old cultural festival held every May 15. The highlight of the festival is a parade of colorful decorated carabao carts.
* San Isidro Labrador Festival ([[Angono, Rizal]]) - A religious festival held on May 15 honoring the town's patron saint, St. [[Isidore the Laborer]]. The highlight of the festival is a procession of carabaos with decorated carts full of farm products.
* Katigbawan Festival ([[Catigbian, Bohol]]) - A cultural festival held on June 16. It celebrates the carabao and its contributions to farmers.
* Queseo Festival ([[Compostela, Cebu]]) - A cultural festival held from June 24 to 25. The festival celebrates a local traditional cheese, the ''[[queseo]]'', made from carabao milk.
* Nuang Festival ([[San Agustin, Isabela]]) - A cultural festival held on September 28. It celebrates the founding anniversary of the town and features a parade of carabaos.
* [[Karabaw Festival]] ([[Gandara, Samar]]) - A cultural festival held on September 29. It celebrates the carabao and features street dancers depicting carabaos.
* Turogpo Festival ([[Carigara, Leyte]]) - A cultural festival held during [[Holy Saturday]]. The word {{lang|war|turogpo}} means "match" and it features a fight between two carabao bulls until one of them runs away from their opponent.

===Symbolism===
[[File:Nueva Ecija -Carabao Racing.jpg|thumb|Carabao racing at the [[Patronal festival|fiesta]] of [[Aliaga, Nueva Ecija]]]]
Despite the carabao being widely regarded as the [[national animal]] of the [[Philippines]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Aquino |first1=Dante M. |last2=Persoon |first2=Gerald A. |year=2013 |chapter=Tradition and Change: Beer Consumption in Northeast Luzon, Philippines |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TXNFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA197 |editor1-last=Schiefenhovel |editor1-first=Wulf |editor2-last=Macbeth |editor2-first=Helen |title=Liquid Bread: Beer and Brewing in Cross-Cultural Perspective  |series=Volume 7 of Anthropology of Food & Nutrition |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=9781782380344 |page=197 }}</ref> the [[National Commission for Culture and the Arts]] of the Philippines has stated that this still has not been officially recognized by law.<ref>{{cite web | last=Pangilinan | first=Leon Jr. | title=In Focus: 9 Facts You May Not Know About Philippine National Symbols | url=http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/ | date=3 October 2014 | access-date=8 January 2019 | publisher=[[National Commission for Culture and the Arts]] | archive-date=November 26, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126154959/http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> House Bill 3926, Philippine National Symbols Act of 2014, was proposed in [[Philippine Congress]] with the aim of officially declaring the country's national symbols, including the carabao as the national animal. It is currently still pending.<ref name="Panti">{{cite news |last1=Panti |first1=Llanesca T. |title=Bill expands official national symbols list |url=https://www.manilatimes.net/2014/03/01/inside-news/top-stories/bill-expands-official-national-symbols-list/79225 |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=The Manila Times |date=1 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="Bacani">{{cite news |last1=Bacani |first1=Louis |title=House bill officially declares adobo as national food |url=https://www.philstar.com/news-commentary/2014/02/28/1295540/house-bill-officially-declares-adobo-national-food |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=PhilStar Global |date=28 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bill seeks to make adobo, jeepney, carabao as PH national symbols |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/581281/bill-seeks-to-make-adobo-jeepney-carabao-as-ph-national-symbols |access-date=11 February 2024 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=28 February 2014}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, the carabao puppet character Kardong Kalabaw became popular as a symbol of the Philippine people's hard work and sense of industry.<ref>{{Citation  |url=http://www.filipinojournal.com/v2/index.php?pagetype=read&article_num=10242007004700&latest_issue=V21-N20  |title=May Natutunan Ka Ba kay Kiko Matsing?  |publisher=The Filipino Journal  |author=Alfie Vera Mella  |access-date=2007-12-18  |url-status=dead  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211181431/http://www.filipinojournal.com/v2/index.php?pagetype=read&article_num=10242007004700&latest_issue=V21-N20  |archive-date=February 11, 2009  }}</ref>

The [[Military Order of the Carabao]], a social club started in 1900 by American enlisted men fighting in the Philippine-American War, believes that the water buffalo symbolizes the "camaraderie that grows among members of the armed forces who face the dangers and privations of extensive military service far from home."<ref name="auto"/>

=== Carabao racing ===
Carabao racing is a widely popular sport among farmers and carabao enthusiasts in the Philippines. In central and southern [[Luzon]] and in [[South Cotabato]] some fiestas have carabao racing as their highlight. Training and conditioning of the race carabao to its full extent is a serious job. Farmers and their trustworthy carabaos gather together to race in a {{convert|500|m}} dirt road. Spectators fill up this unique spectacle, some betting on their best carabaos, others watch for the thrill. The carabaos, geared with their carts on their back, race together with their farmer to win prizes. The race is divided into two classes, one for amateur or first-time carabao racers and the other is for the veteran carabao racers. A race carabao can be bought for ₱35,000 to ₱60,000, with the price increasing with the number of races that it wins. Proven race winners can command a price as high as ₱200,000.{{cn|date=March 2024}}