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As diverse as its cultural influences, the Philippines has innumerable festivities that local folks and foreign tourists both look forward to. Streets gaily decorated with colorful buntings, a showcase of inventive materials, and impeccable displays of thespian abilities are tip-of-the-iceberg offerings to expect from these celebrations. Eclectic Pinoys just find rather all sorts of reasons — and
seasons — to paint each island of the archipelago with its unique festival color. |
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| Now that humidity in the country becomes more and more intense, so do the regional festivals sizzle and excite as the Philippines enters the summer months of the second quarter. Everyone’s invited! From the religious, to the simply adventurous, to the lovers of the bizarre. |
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| The line up of festivals starts in Pangasinan where devotees flock to the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag during the 2nd week of April. This annual pilgrimage attracts believers of the Virgin’s miracles. Pista’y Dayat comes next, falling on the first day of May. A casual and relaxed summer centerpiece attraction in Lingayen, it is a day for Pangasinenses to express gratitude to bountiful harvests and abundant fishing. |
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| Then, it’s time for dressing up! Biblical and historical characters come to life as local people don appropriate costumes, in a long and colorful procession downtown or in a city sidestreet. Welcome to Santa Cruz de Mayo! More popular these days as simply “santacruzan”, this community show is celebrated nationwide to commemorate St. Helena’s mythical finding of Christ’s cross, hence a parade of local beauties clad in a “queen’s” dress, walking under befittingly ornamented wooden or
bamboo arches. |
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| Even carabaos dress up — in the Carabao Festival celebrated simultaneously in Pulilan, Bulacan; San Isidro, Nueva Ecija; and Angono, Rizal. May 14th is the day when our farmers’ bestfriends have their bovines shaved, horns and hooves rubbed with oil and given shine, or body painted in attractive colors or dressed in colorful cloth and flowers. Hundreds of carabaos are paraded through the townstreets, and are made to kneel in front of a church. Farmers and their buddies pay homage to San Isidro de Labrador during this
merrymaking. |
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| After a community show comes a neighborhood competition in Lucban, Quezon — in a friendly ambience, that is. Households vie for recognition of their creativity in the annual Pahiyas Festival by decking the hall and decorating the wall with local produce — fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, longganisa (local sausage), or colorful buri hats and buntal placemats — strung together and displayed in the most original fashion. Breathing more life to the bountiful produce during this May 15 celebration is the “kiping”. Unique to this festival, kiping is made from ground rice flour, shaped using leaves of varied shapes and sizes, colored with bright shades, and arranged a la chandelier or as gigantic flowers. Dressing the house with these edible kiping and agricultural harvest is what the name “Pahiyas” literally means. |
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Come third week of June, two different festivities enliven in two distant regions. First, it’s time to get a li’l dirty in the Mudpack Festival in Murcia, Negros Occidental. This feast mixes ecological concerns with clean fun, and is celebrated as man’s symbolic return to the times when he was closer to nature. See street performers with faces covered with mudpack and bodies painted with Mambukal clay, while entertaining guests and residents with musical instruments made from bamboo and other indigenous materials. On the other hand, Parada ng Lechon in Balayan, Batangas is another unique experience with its well, sumptuous flavor. Here’s one celebration where hilarity and gastronomic spree are effortlessly intertwined. First, you fill your heart with laughter upon seeing roasted pigs with wigs, sunglasses, swimsuits, and others that decorators desire;
then satisfy your palate as you partake of the
lechons after
the parade. |
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| Delightful, indeed, these crowd drawers are! But the enjoyment one gets from these festivities does not end with brass bands, traditional dances, or tummy fillers. Not uncommon to these celebrations are the tiangges (flea market) where discounted clothes, handicrafts, accessories, and the like are peddled in makeshift stores. |
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and un-zipping. |
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| Go on. Meet fresh faces as you find new avenues for discovering an exciting culture, spectacular sights, and exhilarating experiences. Follow the drumbeats and feast your eyes on colorful street parades. |
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| The distinct sights and sounds of Philippine celebrations allow us to revisit our glorious past. They are a testimony to our creative, fun-loving heritage. Smiling faces and warm hearts are given during these times of merrymaking. And these are the brightest colors that have kept our festivities staying aglow through the years. |
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