Filipinos are known as one of the happiest people in the world. Why? It is because of many different fiestas celebrated on different parts of the country all year round. So if you're visiting Philippines(soon after this pandemic ends hopefully), you might be able to participate or witness one of those festive and vibrant celebrations. But what is Fiesta?
Fiesta, also known as festival are usually celebrated by Christians, for a way of showing gratitude on patron saints, or a celebrations for a particular seasons. Typically, characterize by festive street dancing, free flow of foods and drinks, beauty pageants(mutya), and joyful musics. A unique character of Filipino Festival is that the whole city came out to participate the festival. The durations of celebrations sometimes go on for as long as weeks, and sometimes month. In general, fiestas are a great party.
The tradition of celebrating fiestas was brought by the colonizing Spaniards in 16th century. It is when they also brought Christianity in the island and held the first Holy Mass in a shore of an island on what was refer by the historian, Pigafetta, as "Mazaua." In the present, it is now called Limasawa.
5 well-known Fiestas in the country.
There are hundreds of different celebrations around the Philippines, that's why our country was also refers as "a Land of many celebrations." In this article, I only listed 5 of the most popular festivals that for me, are worth witnessing for.
1. Sinulog Festival
Dedicated to honoring and celebrating baby Jesus, also known as Santo Niño, Sinulog is the biggest fiesta to be celebrated in Cebu. Held every year on the third Sunday of January, actually the celebrations formally commenced two weeks before the exact date of the celebrations. The term Sinulog refers to the movement of water. It is also interesting to note here that the traditional dance performed at Sinulog resembles the movement of water currents – two steps in the front and one step in the back. Marked by 3-day long street parties, parades, dancing, and raves, Sinulog attracts millions of people from all over the world and is definitely one of the most popular fiestas of Philippines.
Image source: https://www.cebutours.ph/cebus-preparation-upcoming-sinulog-festival-2015/
2. Ati-atihan Festival
Held every year in the month of January, Kalibo’s Ati-Atihan festival has tribal origins. It is said that the fiesta was first celebrated by the native Aetas tribe of the Philippines to welcome and provide refuge to members of the Bornean Datus tribe. In return, the Datus provided food and shelter to the Aetas later during the time of famine, giving birth to the Ati-Atihan fiesta. Rumour has it that the Ati-Atihan became so popular as one of the biggest fiestas in the Philippines, it gave birth to similar festivals in other parts of the country, most notably the Sinulog festival in Cebu.
3. Masskara Festival
Celebrated on the 4th Sunday every October in Bacolod City(City of Smiles), Masskara is a relatively new festival started only in the 1980s in the Philippines, compared to others that go back hundreds of years. But what sets this festival apart is the use of decorative smiling face masks as part of the festival costume by the dancers and participants, meant to represent the undying spirit of Filipinos to fight every odd. The usual street parades are also a part of Masskara along with fun competitions like pole climbing that are held to bring together people from all across the region.
Image source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/radseason.com/event/masskara-festival-bacolod-philippines/amp/
4. Panagbenga Festival
Sometimes referred to as the festival of flowers, and very rightly so, the term Panagbenga essentially means ‘season of blooming’. And what better way to bring in the festive spirit of Panagbenga than to celebrate with Baguio City’s beautiful blossoms? The biggest highlight of this fiesta is the grand parade that goes through the entire city with participants dressed in floral themed costumes. A real treat for the eyes, Panagbenga’s popularity is clearly evident in the sheer number of people that come to the City of Baguio to witness the celebrations.
Image source: https://explore.traveloka.com/baguio/panagbenga-festival-guide
5. Pahiyas Festival
One of the most colorful fiestas in the Philippines, Pahiyas is a celebration of abundance. Dedicated to worshipping the patron saint of farmers, San Isidro de Labrador, the festival coincides with the local harvest season. Farmers decorate their homes in vibrant colors and the activity has a tinge of competitiveness to see whose house has the best decoration, all in the spirit of the festival. But apart from that, a huge draw of the Pahiyas festival is the display of a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables everywhere in the city for visitors to savor, along with local rice cakes called Suman.
Image source: https://www.vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/Pahiyas-Festival-A-Colorful-Celebration
More than the fun and celebration, fiestas show a glimpse of the colorful and lively history, culture, and traditions of the Philippines and how celebrations have the ability to connect and reconnect human relationships and interactions.
Thank you for reading.
Lead image source: https://austintexas.gov/blog/pista-sa-nayon-festival-2015
nice😍