Kuraldal: Sasmuan's January feast for Saint Lucy
Sasmuan's devotion to Saint Lucy, patron of the blind and of couples hoping for a child, and the January Kuraldal.
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Discover Pampanga Editors · October 2026
Photo: Judgefloro on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · via Wikimedia Commons
Saint Lucy has watched over Sasmuan since the Augustinians founded its parish in 1590. She is the patron of the blind, and in Sasmuan she is also believed to help those who long for a child.
The Kuraldal
Every January 6, the town celebrates the Kuraldal for its patron. The word is said to come from the Spanish curar, to cure or heal, a reminder of why so many devotees come to her.
Two feasts
The Kuraldal is separate from the saint's feast day on December 13, when devotees from across Pampanga gather at the riverside church for the Feast of Santa Lucia.
The church
The Santa Lucia Parish Church keeps its Baroque facade and pineapple-shaped cupola. It stands beside the market, by the footbridge to San Pedro. See the Kuraldal listing for January.
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More in Sasmuan
© Vengolis on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SACommunity
The crab women of Mabuanbuan
In Sasmuan's wetlands, birds and families depend on the same coast. A look at the people who work the Ramsar site.
© Ralff Nestor Nacor on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SACulture
From Sexmoan to Sasmuan: a town takes back its name
How a Spanish spelling turned an old Kapampangan meeting place into a joke, and why the town changed it back.
Things to do nearby
Adventure
Birdwatching at the Sasmuan wetlands
Watch waterbirds such as egrets and curlews at the Ramsar-listed Sasmuan wetland, by boat and by arrangement with local authorities.
Attractions
Sasmuan Public Market
Riverside market of a fishing town, beside the church and the footbridge to San Pedro.
© Ralff Nestor Nacor on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SAAttractions
Santa Lucia Parish Church, Sasmuan
Sasmuan's Baroque church of Saint Lucy, an Augustinian foundation of 1590 with a distinctive pineapple-shaped cupola.