Festival here in the Philippines 

What is festival?

     is an event ordinarily celebrated by communities and centering on some characteristic aspect of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. Next to religion and folklore, a significant origin is agricultural. Food is such a vital resource that many festivals are associated with harvest time. Religious commemoration and thanksgiving for good harvests are blended in events that take place in autumn, such as Halloween in the northern hemisphere and Easter in the southern.

Example of Festival here in the  Philippines:

1. DINAGYANG - ILOILO 

Dinagyang Festival is one of the biggest and world-class festivals in the Philippines. It traces the history of devotion to the Holy Child Jesus popularly known to Filipino devotees as Sr. Sto. Nino. The festival also commemorates the arrival of the Malay settlers and the legendary barter of Panay Island from the natives called called Ati.

Dinagyang season in Iloilo City is on the first month of the year and highlighted with an Ati Tribe Competition every fourth Sunday of January. There is an official launching by mid-October of the previous year signaling the start of preparations especially for tribes to practice for their performances in January of the next year.

The participants show impressive choreography with colorful tribal costumes and striking props to present socio-cultural and religious tableaus depicting life in Panay before the Spanish colonization and the advent of Catholicism in the country.

Dinagyang is the leading tourism, cultural, religious and socio-economic promotional vehicle and symbol of Iloilo City’s continuing progress and sustainable development.

2. SINULOG FESTIVAL - CEBU

Millions of people participated in Cebu City last Sunday to celebrate the Sinulog Festival, one of the most famous festivals in the Philippines. It was attended, not only by Filipinos, but people coming from different parts of the globe also went to witness the celebration. The magnificence of the festival made Filipinos, as well as our fellow Asians, refer to it as the “Mother of all Festivals”. From the colorful and well-made costumes of the dancers, to the beautiful dances and to the music brought by the drums, trumpets, and the native gongs, the Sinulog Festival never ceases to amaze its audience.

For 32 years, the Sinulog Festival is a traditional celebration in Cebu City held every third Sunday of January to honor the Santo Niño (Child Jesus). Basically, the festival is done by a dance ritual, in which it tells the story of the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity. The word “Sinulog” means “graceful dance”, wherein it all started in 1980 with a simple dance that represents the “sulog” (or current) of a river in Cebu.

With the celebration’s evolution, the Sinulog Festival has become a month long tradition in Cebu. The most-awaited feature, nevertheless, is the Sinulog Grand Parade which was held on the 15thday of January. “One Beat, One Dance, One Vision. Cebu – City of Culture” was the theme adopted for the 2012 Sinulog Festival.

As the festival becomes more and more famous each year, tourists would never want to miss the opportunity to watch it and became more and more commercialized. The festival now, not only consists of costumes and dances, but also contests, such as art exhibits, beauty pageants, photo contests, and singing and dancing contests. Participants may also join the festival’s activities, such as concerts, cultural shows, fireworks display, fun runs, and street fairs. For the past 18 years, it has made the Filipinos residing in New Zealand celebrate their own version each year, a proof on how big of an influence the festival is. It has also been recognized as the “City of Culture” by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

3. ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL- KALIBO, AKLAN

The Ati-Atihan Festival is held every year in January in Kalibo, the capital of Aklan province. It is a two-week festival that ends on the third Sunday of the month.Kalibo has been known for its Ati-Atihan before all the other neighboring provinces started their own.

The Ati-Atihan Festival of Aklan is called the Mother of All Filipino Festivals.  The name of the festival means “pretending to be like an Ati.” The Ati, also known as Negritos, are an indigenous people who have distinctively black skin and curly hair. In the year 1212 AD, ten datus from Borneo landed on Panay island (where Aklan is located) and amicably purchased land from the native king Marikudo. They had a feast to celebrate. Today, celebrants of the Ati-atihan Festival paint their faces with black soot. Locals who perform in the parade also wear colorful elaborate costumes. It can be compared with Mardi Gras in other parts of the world.

On account of the historical influence of the Catholic church, the Ati-Atihan festival is said to honor the Santo Niño (Christ Child). In fact, the name of Kalibo means “one thousand,” which is the number of people who were baptized in a single day by early Spanish missionaries.

4.PAHIYAS FESTIVAL, LUCBAN, QUEZON

The Pahiyas festival transforms the small towns of Quezon province from ordinary to exquisite sight. Originally a pagan harvest festival, it is now commemorated in honor of San Isidro Labrador � the patron saint of farmers, peasants, laborers used to be a farmer in Madrid. According to legend, white oxen magically plowed his fields whenever he went to church. After being colonized by Spain, the legend was passed on to the Philippines. On the other hand, he was the venerated patron saint of agriculture in Mexico who was called upon by people to ensure the abundant supply of water and fertility of the land.

Pahiyas is a festival that takes a long time to prepare and celebrated only for a short period. One of the much anticipated sights to see is the colorful decoration of houses made from different fruits, vegetables, and kipings. The people of Quezon believed that the practice started when farmers offered foods at the foot of Mount Banahaw. The ritual changed over time and the food offerings was brought to the church. In the old times, farmers brought all their harvest to the church for blessing. They believed that this ritual was essential because they were told that failure to do so could bring deprivation, dearth and misfortune to the town. Later on, the farmers received more blessings and their harvests were bountiful. The Lucban church, known to be the oldest church in the town, soon became the place where the pahiyas festival was held.

5.  PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL- BAGUIO

The mountain city of Baguio in the Philippines has long been known as the country's Summer Capital. Generations of visitors make the long trek to Baguio from Manila in the summer to escape the stifling heat of the lowland cities.

It's not just the soothing climate, though, that draws the tourists in. Great food? Panoramic landscapes? Good accommodations? Check, check, and check.

Memorable festivals? Check.

The Panagbenga Festival beats them all as Baguio's top attraction. This so-called “flower festival” was first held in the early 90s to lift the people’s spirits after a devastating earthquake. The ensuing festival was so successful, they brought it back the year afterward, and the year after that… and never stopped.

Over time, the festival format evolved and expanded to cover an entire month's worth of festivities. The event now promotes commerce and cultural development for both Baguio and the surrounding areas.

6.KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL,-DAVAO

Kadayawan shows a city with a great soul," says Arturo "Art" Boncato, Jr, former assistant secretary of the Department of Tourism. He is referring to Kadayawan sa Dabaw, the annual week-long festival being celebrated in Davao City every 3rd week of August.

The festivity is structured as "the celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, and bounties of harvest and serenity of living." That seems to sum up Kadayawan, which comes from the Mandaya word "madayaw," meaning "good, valuable, superior, or beautiful."

What makes Kadayawan a unique festival is that it pays tribute to the lumad, a collective group of indigenous people living in the city. At one time, the festival’s theme was "Ten Tribes, One Vibe." But it was found out there were actually 11 tribes living in the city: Ata, Bagobo-Klata, Bagobo-Tagabawa, Iranun, Kagan, Maguindanaon, Maranao, Matigsalog, Ovu Manubo, Sama, and Tausug.

7 .LIGLIGAN PARUL, SAN FERNANDO- PAMPANGA

TLanterns of San Fernando Pampanga are different from other lanterns for they are deeply rooted in the Kapampangan’s culture through our religion, resiliency and inherit creativity and commitment to better our best. Kapampangan don’t settle no being just ordinary, they want to stand out in everything that they do.

The San Fernando lantern industry evolved from the Giant Lantern Festival of San Fernando. The festival, which is held every December, finds its roots in Bacolor where a much simpler activity was held. Following the transfer of the provincial capital from Bacolor to San Fernando in August 1904, this lantern event followed as well. "Ligligan Parul" was said to have started in San Fernando in 1904. But some say that the "Ligligan Parol" did not happen immediately after the transfer and in fact began in 1908.

This predecessor of the modern day Giant Lantern Festival was actually a religious activity which we know today as “lubenas.” The lanterns measured just two feet in diameter, a far cry from the fifteen feet of the lanterns seen today in the festival. These were created in each barrio from bamboo and other locally available materials. During the nine-day novena before Christmas, which coincided with the simbang gabi from December 16 to 24, these paruls were brought around each barrio in procession to their visita. Before the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the lanterns were brought to the town church together with the barrio patrons.

This tradition gradually evolved as the lanterns became bigger and the designs more intricate. Later, one big lantern was made for each barrio, which was created through a cooperative effort. Each resident contributed to its construction, from the concept and design, to the materials and labor. In the end, these lanterns became a symbol of unity for the barrios.

8. Moriones Festival- MARINDUQUE

MARINDUQUE, Philippines – Geographically located at the center of the Philippine archipelago, this province hosts one of the most inspiring cultural festivals during the Lenten season.

Dubbed as the Moriones Festival, which replicates the garb of the Roman soldiers who searched for Saint Longinus, the Roman centurion who has one blind eye.

Moriones refers to the masked and costumed penitents who march around the towns in Marinduque for seven days searching for Longinus. Morions roam the streets from Holy Monday to Easter Sunday scaring kids and doing antics that never fail draw public attention.

While all other festivals in the country are celebrated for good harvest and cultural promotion, the Moriones Festival centers in the most important aspect of the lives of the Filipinos – their faith in God.

Being a country mostly dominated by Catholics, the festival portrays the inseparability of the Filipinos and God.

9. Pintados Festival

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, June 28, 2018 (PIA) - - The Tacloban City fiesta celebration in Leyte province is one of the most anticipated events in the month of June. The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals of the province, on its 23rd year brings together diverse festivities of participating municipalities, colorful parades and beautiful people.The festival was first celebrated on June 29, 1987, firstly to showcase the tattooed inhabitants of Samar and Leyte called Pintados. This year’s parade was attended by five contingents, quite fewer than that of  the previous years, but most of them were champions in similar competitions.

Contingents for this year were the Tribu Buraburon of Burauen, Leyte (last year’s grand champion of Pintados-Kasadyaan); Heraite of Leyte, Leyte; Sanggutan of Barugo, Leyte; Tribu Pasaka of Tanauan, Leyte; and Solosogui of Balangiga, Eastern Samar.

 Former governor and current Palo town Mayor Remedios Petilla, who is the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival executive committee chairperson, believes that an effective way to attract tourists is to showcase local festivals that will boast the rich culture and history of the province.

 Considered one of the highlights of the festival is the street dancing, where contingents wear colorful costumes and body paints. These are painted like patterns that resemble armors to represent past warriors.

10. MassKara Festival- Bacolod City

The word "Masskara" is a portmanteau, coined by the late artist Ely Santiago from mass (a multitude of people), and the Spanish word cara (face), thus forming MassKara (a multitude of faces). The word is also a pun on maskara, Filipino for "mask" (itself from Spanish máscara), since it is a prominent feature of the festival and are always adorned with smiling faces, giving rise to Bacolod being called the "City of Smiles".

The Festival first began in 1980 during a period of crisis. The province relied on sugar cane as its primary agricultural crop and the price of sugar was at an all-time low due to the introduction of sugar substitutes like high fructose corn syrup in the United States. This was the first MassKara Festival and a time of tragedy; on April 22 of that year, the inter-island vessel MV Don Juan carrying many Negrenses, including those belonging to prominent families in Bacolod City, collided with the tanker Tacloban City and sank in Tablas Strait off Mindoro while en route from Manila to Bacolod. An estimated 750 lives were lost in the tragedy.