Feast of the Black Nazarene
Every year, thousands of devotees gather around Quiapo to witness the annual Feast of the Black Nazarene. These men and women are careless about the heat of the sun as soon as the procession starts once the Quiapo Church door opens, then thousands of devotees begin shouting “Viva Black Nazarene!”
You will be able to witness men dressed in maroon shirts who believe that through pulling the carriage of the Nazarene, blessing will come and their individual prayers be granted. These people are walks in barefoot will marching to the procession showing their humility to the Nazarene. Thousands of people likewise wave their white handkerchiefs as the Nazarene begins to move. Some also throw their white towels to wipe them on the statue. You will notice that people riding the carriage will wipe these white handkerchiefs and towels to the Nazarene and throw it back to the person who owns it. These devotees believe that the towel can perform miracle for time in times when they need miracles. Moreover, many businesspersons state that as soon as the Nazarene passes their business areas, it brings good luck for them.
_________________________________________________________
Ati-Atihan
The name Ati-Atihan means "make-believe Atis. " It has been known as the wildest among Philippine fiestas. The Ati-Atihan is a festival in honour of the Santo Niño. During the last three days of this week-long festival (fiesta), a parade is characteristic. A colourful happening with celebrants who paint their faces in many different ways and who are dressed in the most outstanding costumes.
The Ati-Atihan festival is named after the Ati, the indigenious natives of the island before the arrival of the Malay in the 10th century and the Spanish in the 16th century.
The festival is held on the third week of January every year on the second Sunday after Epiphany in Kalibo in the Aklan province on the island of Panay. The festival is to rejoice the arrival or gift of the Santo Niño by Magellan to the native Queen of Cebu in 1521 and is manifested by hyperactive merriment on the streets . The dancing on the rhythms of the drums makes this festival very similar to the Mardi Gras celebration in Rio in Brazil.
The festival is held on the third week of January every year on the second Sunday after Epiphany in Kalibo in the Aklan province on the island of Panay. The festival is to rejoice the arrival or gift of the Santo Niño by Magellan to the native Queen of Cebu in 1521 and is manifested by hyperactive merriment on the streets . The dancing on the rhythms of the drums makes this festival very similar to the Mardi Gras celebration in Rio in Brazil.
ATI-ATIHAN is one of the greatest, most colorful and fun festivals. It's nickname, "The Filipino Mardis Gras" and takes place the 3rd weekend in January every year in Kalibo, Aklan, Panay Island,
Philippines. Iloilo and many other smaller towns on Panay Island also party the festivals during the weekends from mid January to early February so if you miss the Kalibo festival you could still experience fun elsewhere. The informality of the festival is what makes it so terrific and allows everyone to participate, dance, beat on a drum or just take photos while in the middle of the tribal groups. The groups include all age groups - another wonderful aspect of the festival. Some of the most creative costumes distinct to the tribal themes are displayed by a few of the local gays. The festival includes every local group in Aklan with a unique tribal tradition, various civic or commercial organizations and individuals that create new costumes every year.
Philippines. Iloilo and many other smaller towns on Panay Island also party the festivals during the weekends from mid January to early February so if you miss the Kalibo festival you could still experience fun elsewhere. The informality of the festival is what makes it so terrific and allows everyone to participate, dance, beat on a drum or just take photos while in the middle of the tribal groups. The groups include all age groups - another wonderful aspect of the festival. Some of the most creative costumes distinct to the tribal themes are displayed by a few of the local gays. The festival includes every local group in Aklan with a unique tribal tradition, various civic or commercial organizations and individuals that create new costumes every year.
The key activity of the festival and one of the main reasons tourists gather to the island is the native dance competitions pitched to rhythmic and mesmerizing drumbeats that run nonstop for several days. Competitors rehearsed for weeks before the festival and dress in very colorful costumes, wearing masks and headdresses, and paint their bodies with black ash to turn up like the native Ati. Dancing troupes, some numbering 40 or 50 children or teenagers, dance for local prestige and cash prizes.
Hotels and resorts for miles around are reserved solid months in advance, but many houses near the festival have spare rooms that families let out. While there is much drinking and revelry there is a noticeable police presence that is there to safeguard foreigners and tourists. The other attraction is Boracay beach is less than an hour away so many tourists and visitors view the festival and then visit Boracay for a complete and well-rounded vacation.
________________________________________________________________________
Sinulog Festival
Hotels and resorts for miles around are reserved solid months in advance, but many houses near the festival have spare rooms that families let out. While there is much drinking and revelry there is a noticeable police presence that is there to safeguard foreigners and tourists. The other attraction is Boracay beach is less than an hour away so many tourists and visitors view the festival and then visit Boracay for a complete and well-rounded vacation.
________________________________________________________________________
Sinulog Festival
The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines with a very.rich history. The main festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.
The festival features some the country’s most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry: participants garbed in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. The streets are usually lined with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a Sinulog sa Kabataan, which is performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the Grand Parade.
Aside from the colorful and festive dancing, there is also the SME trade fair where Sinulog features Cebu export quality products and people around the world flock on the treasures that are Cebu.
Recently, the cultural event has been commercialized as a tourist attraction and instead of traditional street-dancing from locals, Sinulog also came to mean a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is traditionally held in the Cebu City Sports Complex, where most of Cebu’s major provincial events are held.
________________________________________________________________________
Dinagyang
The Dinagyang Festival is celebrated every fourth weekend of January to honor the Christianization of the natives and to respect the Holy Child Jesus. On this day, streets of Iloilo City will once again come alive as the Ilonggos celebrate the annual festivity. It is a very colorful parade coupled with a dramatization in honor of the patron Saint Sto. Niño as the object of performs offerings and prayers amidst the cracking of drums and shouts of "Viva Señor Santo Niño." The thundering of "Hala Bira" by the tribe members makes the celebration a lively one. It is also a very popular tagline used by Ilonggos to express their warm participation during the "Dinagyang" celebration. A tribute in honor of Señor Sto. Niño whom Ilonggos believe was very miraculous in times of famine and drought.
Dinagyang is an annual event, when the whole town rejoices, shouting their pride of being an Ilonggo and telling their culture. It is a wonderful looking back to the past. It is not just a celebration, it is a religious evangelization. Going back to Iloilo is more like a past fulfilled and a looking forward for future celebrations. It is our culture. The Aeta culture. That's why it is painting the town black.
Dinagyang is an annual event, when the whole town rejoices, shouting their pride of being an Ilonggo and telling their culture. It is a wonderful looking back to the past. It is not just a celebration, it is a religious evangelization. Going back to Iloilo is more like a past fulfilled and a looking forward for future celebrations. It is our culture. The Aeta culture. That's why it is painting the town black.
_________________________________________________________________________
Santacruzan
Filipinos likes fiestas. They are celebrated all-year round. All over the country, especially in the summer months, May is the merriest and the most beautiful month of the year. It is the season of colorful festivals and Flores de Mayo or Santacruzan is one such festival. Stop and smell the roses. During the month of May, in the tropical islands of the Philippines, we don't have to stop -- the fragrance of flowers floats in the air. When the rains begin to pour after a long dry spell, flowers magically bloom overnight. And being predominantly Catholic, the Filipinos celebrate the beneficial rains by giving praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The townfolk gather the colorful flowers to decorate the Parish Church altars and aisles. They bundle the blooms in exotic arrangements for the many different festivities all together referred to as the "Flores De Mayo" (Flowers of May). Many towns celebrate Flores De Mayo with the community congregating in the afternoons to pray the rosary, offer flowers to the Virgin Mary, and share homemade delicacies and snacks. Children and adults wearing their Sunday best sing and dance to welcome the rains that will water the new crops.
Santacruzan is held annually in the warm month of May and is considered to be the "Queen of Filipino Festivals". Beautiful town belles are selected to participate in this colorful pageant parade. The stars are selected not for their looks alone, but for their embodiment of traditional feminine qualities. It is a week-long street pageant in almost every town; from the dirt road barrio to the metropolis honoring beautiful Philippine maidens and their handsome escorts under the hand-carried bamboo arc’s decorated by fragrant native flowers.
Carabao Festival
Honoring a saint is one of the principal reasons why Filipinos celebrate numerous fiestas. This is the reason why the people in Pulilan, Bulacan never fail to commemorate and pay tribute to San Isidro Labrador, who is the patron saint for farmers. Although the festival officially begins on May 15 every year, there are traditions which the locals need to observe prior to this day. For 24 days, they must perform the Paseo or the procession of the image of San Isidro to the different towns comprising Bulacan. They ought to complete the Novena for nine consecutive days.
Based on historical records, many years ago, individuals are identified not by their given surnames but by the work, they perform. Such is the case of San Isidro, whose occupation was that of a Labrador or a laborer. He was a hired hand in a farm and had no personal land to till. His landlord was amazed that San Isidro was capable of completing his assigned task despite his coming late to work most of the time. Prompted by his curiosity, the landlord investigated and saw that the person plowing the field was an angel. In awe, he knelt before San Isidro. This image of a kneeling man is often associated with this patron saint.
Carabaos play a vital role during this occasion. They are the creatures responsible in assisting the farmers in doing their jobs. One of the most astonishing sights to see during the celebration of this festival happens in the morning of May 14. The carabaos are thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the parade. During the march, the carabaos are trained by their owners to kneel in front of the church as they pass it one by one. A priest is there to bless each one of the creatures as they pay homage to their patron saint. On the 15th, carabao races are held as part of the festivity.
Pintados Festival
Based on historical records, many years ago, individuals are identified not by their given surnames but by the work, they perform. Such is the case of San Isidro, whose occupation was that of a Labrador or a laborer. He was a hired hand in a farm and had no personal land to till. His landlord was amazed that San Isidro was capable of completing his assigned task despite his coming late to work most of the time. Prompted by his curiosity, the landlord investigated and saw that the person plowing the field was an angel. In awe, he knelt before San Isidro. This image of a kneeling man is often associated with this patron saint.
Carabaos play a vital role during this occasion. They are the creatures responsible in assisting the farmers in doing their jobs. One of the most astonishing sights to see during the celebration of this festival happens in the morning of May 14. The carabaos are thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the parade. During the march, the carabaos are trained by their owners to kneel in front of the church as they pass it one by one. A priest is there to bless each one of the creatures as they pay homage to their patron saint. On the 15th, carabao races are held as part of the festivity.
__________________________________________________________
Pintados Festival
The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival is a merry-making event lasting a whole month, highlights of which include the Leyte Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals, the 17th Pintados Festival Ritual Dance Presentation and the "Pagrayhak'' Grand Parade. These festivals are said to have began from the feast day of Señor Santo Niño, held every June 29th. The Leyteños celebrate a religious festival in a unique and colorful way. Since the Visayans are experienced in the art of body tattooing, men and women are fond of tattooing themselves.
The Pintados Festival displays the rich cultural heritage, incorporating native music and dances, of the people of Leyte and Samar. The Leyte Kasadya-an Festival of Festivals, meanwhile, showcases the unique culture and colorful history of the Province of Leyte. Started by former Leyte Governor Remedios Loreto-Petilla, the celebration was first held on May 12, 1996. The festivities weren't always held every June 29th; the first three years saw different dates. It was only in 1999 that it was fixed to June 29, the Feast of the Señor Santo Niño de Leyte.
"Kasadyaan'' in the Visayan tongue means merriment and jollity. Various municipal festivals of Leyte gather together in the original capital of Tacloban City for the celebration. There, lively dance-drama parade of many colors takes place. There is an important role that the festival plays, and it is strengthening the Leyteños' sense of pride. Every municipality mounts a storyline all their own to portray with pride their local folklore and legends. _________________________________________________________________________
Higantes Festival
_________________________________________________________________________
Maskara Festival
The term Masskara is coined from two words: mass, meaning crowd, and the Spanish word cara, for face; thus the double meaning for "mask" and "many faces". The Masskara festival was first conceived in 1980 to add color and gaiety to the Bcolod City's celebration of its Charter Day anniversary, on 19 October. The symbol of the festival - a smiling mask - was adopted by the organizers to dramatize the Negrenses happy spirit, despite periodic economic downturns in the sugar industry.
Throughout the week, people from all over the Visayas, flock to the town plaza. They join Bacoleños in the non-stop round of festivities. Even if you don't feel like dancing and singing, the pig catching and pole climbing competitions are musts. Some are also trying their luck and testing their skills in mask-making contests, disco king and queen competitions, coconut-milk drinking to name a few.
Masks are the order of the day at the Masskara parade, as brightly-costumed men and women dance and prance in the streets. Their beaming faces are be-dimpled, grinning and laughing in molded clay or papier-mache. Every group is represented: civic associations, commercial establishments, schools, even private and government organizations. They march out in enthusiastic throngs wearing their painted masks and elaborate costumes, all vying for prizes in judging that will be held in the afternoon.
The festival also benefits Bacolod tourism not only because tourists flock the city during this time to join the merrymaking but also to buy the orchids and ornate handicrafts on sale.
__________________________________________________________
Moriones Festival
The Lenten season touches the hearts of many, so does the story of the Moriones festival. Its origin emerged from the story of Christ’s crucifixion. A Roman soldier, Longinus, who was blind in one eye, pierced the side of Jesus on the cross. The blood that spurted out of Christ’s side touched his blind eye and fully restored his sight. Receiving such a wonderful miracle made Longinus convert himself into Christianity.
The Moriones festival is held in the island of Marinduque. This weeklong celebration re-enacts the story of Longinus in pantomime. Morion means mask, which is a part of medieval Roman armor that covers the face. The celebration starts on Holy Monday and ends on Easter Sunday.
The festival is given life by the colorful Roman warrior costumes, painted masks and helmets, and brightly colored tunics. Various islands that comprise Marinduque becomes one gigantic stage for this festival.
Although the moriones festival is considered a celebration, Marinduque still honors the Lenten season through the traditional way. A pabasa or the reading of Christ’s passion in verse is still entailed.
One of the highlights of this festival is the Via Crucis. A re-enactment of the suffering of Christ on his way to the calvary. Men inflict suffering upon themselves by whipping their backs, carrying a wooden cross and sometimes even crucifixion. They see this act as their form of atonement for their sins.
