Welcome to the Philippines: Fiesta Pilipinas
March 18, 2022
Good evening everyone! 2 years have passed since the last time I’d experienced attending a festival. The last festival I attended was the Pahiyas festival in Lucban that was held on the month of May every year. So because of the lessen restriction, I was thinking if there will any celebration/festival this year not just in Lucban but all over the Philippines. And if there is any, I would love to attend some of it. Do you miss attending festivals too like me? So related to this festival, this series of “Welcome to the Philippines” will be all about big festivals that are celebrated here. By the way, festivals in the Philippines are a great method to showcase each province's patron saint or most well-known items. Here are some popular festivals in the Philippines and if I miss some you can leave a comment.
Based on the amount of folklore, the higantes or paper mache giants were done by locals as a form of protest during the spanish colonization. Now, this paper mache giants now played a part of one of the most unique festivals in the Philippines l. Higantes festival is celebrated every fourth week of November in Angono, Rizal to honor San Clemente, the town's patron saint.
Moriones is derived from the word “morion” which means mask or visor as demonstrated by the mask in the moriones festival costume. This religious festival reenacts the biblical story of Saint Longinus, a roman soldier with one blind eye. Moriones festival is an annual activity held every holy week in the province of Marinduque.
Masskara festival is named after the words “mass” which means many and “kara” which means faces making it the festival of many faces. The Masskara festival was started by the people of Bacolod city to lift the spirits of the locals after a tragic disaster in the 1980s. Masskara festival is typically held on the fourth sunday of October in Bacolod city with many smiling masks paraded by locals.
Kadayawan is at about known native expression. It is derived from the word “madayaw” which means good, valuable and superior. Davaoenos celebrate the annual Kadayawan festival as a thanksgiving festival and a tribute to their indigenous people. Kadayawan festival is usually held in the third week of August in Davao city.
The giant lantern festival can be traced back to 1931 when electricity was introduced to the San Fernando lantern sparking the first giant lantern festival. Every second saturday in December, San Fernando city, Pampanga hosts the giant lantern festival.
Panagbenga is a local term in Cordillera that means a season for blossoming. One of the major events in the Panagbenga festival is the grand float parade which features giant floats in various characters made of flowers. Many celebrities have also performed here as a result Panagbenga has grown to become a well-known festival in the Philippines Panagbenga festival is held annually in February in Baguio city
Pahiyas festival's history can be traced back to the 15th century. Farmers used to offer their harvest at the foot of Mount Banahaw at the time. Pahiyas festival is an annual celebration held in Lucban, Quezon on may 15 to honor San Isidro Labrador the patron saint of farmers for a bountiful harvest.
Dinagyang is a hiligaynon word that means merrymaking. It is one of the religious festivals celebrated in the Philippines that commemorates the feast of the Santo Nino and the settlement between the datus and the locals. Dinagyang festival transforms Iloilo city into a massive street party with overflowing drinks and food every fourth Sunday of January
Similar to Iloilo city's Dinagyang festival, this event is celebrated to honor Santo Nino. This religious festival is also one of the oldest in the Philippines. The Ati atihan festival is held in several towns all over the province of Aklan every January.
Just like Dinagyang festival, Sinulog is a religious festival in the Philippines that commemorates the feast of the Santo Nino. The word “sinulog” means like the water current is also the name of the dance step performed by the dancers. Sinulog festival is a traditional Cebu city celebration held on the third Sunday of January.
Those are the list of some big festivals here in the Philippines and I hope that it will be celebrated again this year with of course some health guidelines. I would love to attend and experience this beautiful festival around the Philippines.
This is my 7th series of Welcome to the Philippines. If you want to read my other series, please visit the links below
Welcome to the Philippines: Toxic Filipino Culture
Welcome to the Philippines: Positive Filipino Values
Welcome to the Philippines: Laro ng Lahi
Welcome to the Philippines: Panliligaw
Welcome to the Philippines: World of Kakanins
Welcome to the Philippines: Armas ng mga Ninuno
Lead image source
Image source linked to different title of the festivals
Nice information about the festivals of Philippines