San Jose is a municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines.

San Jose is a 5th class municipality in the province of Negros Oriental. It is one of the smallest towns in the province and is considered as Pineapple Capital of the region.

One of the main tourist attractions of the town is the Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in the cane fields of Cambaluctot, where a spinning sun is said to have manifested the visit of the Lady of Lourdes. Devotees flock to the shrine every Saturday of the month. The town is the gateway to the Twin Lakes Natural Park in Enrique Villanueva, Sibulan Town.

The municipality of San Jose was formerly called “Ayuquitan,” a name that was born due to a communication problem between the natives and Spanish Conquistadores. The story was that one day a group of Spaniards searching for flourishing communities came upon a group of natives harvesting rice. The Spaniards approached the natives and asked the name of the place while pointing to the ground filled with piles of rice chaffs. The natives thought they were asked for the name of the pile and answered “Inoquitan.” From then on, the Spaniards called the place “Inoquitan.” In time, the name “Ayuquitan” was adapted from the phrase "may inoquitan."

 

This story is the theme for the town's colorful festival--the Ayuquitan festival. It is held every May 7, one of the highlights of the town fiesta which is celebrated on May 10. Streetdancing and showdown are the main features of the festival.

 

 

Source:

Wikipedia