An Naga

Where did the name Naga City come from?

The history of Naga City is indeed very interesting and remarkable especially to Nagueños. Without the past Naga City wouldn’t be as prosperous as it is today. Part of our past is the evolution of the name of our city. The history of the name of the city is important to its heritage. Nagueños should be aware of where the name of their city came from.

We conducted a survey and found out that only 3 out of 10 Nagueños know where the name Naga City was derived. There are two stories about where the city got its name. Before the Spanish Colonization there was abundance of Narra Tree all over the place. During those times the Bicol term for the tree was Naga. There was also abundance of species of wild duck in the city in which it is endangered today. The Bicol name of the duck was the same with that of Narra Tree. And because people noticed the profusion of these things, the place was named as Naga City.

         We interviewed Mr. Jose Fernando Obias, one of the editors of the book Naga: The Birth and Rebirth of A City. He believes that the name Naga came from the Sanskrit literature and it is defined as the water serpent. It was described as a snake holding the whole world. When the snake open its mouth, out comes water. Mr. Obias is certain about this side of story because images of this water serpent are seen in several homes of ancient Bicolanos.

       The name Naga City truly describes the place. Like the wild duck, Nagueños are thriving hard just to have a good lifestyle and all the natural & human resources of the city is as useful as the Narra Tree. And like the water serpent, Nagueños cares a lot about our mother earth or rather the environment. Well that’s the reason why we, Nagueños, are very proud of our culture, industry, location and history of our small yet flourishing city.