Religious Festivals

• Holy Family and various saints were brought by Spaniards and were presented through estampitas, retablos of saints, via crucis, paintings, and festivals.
• Kiping is a brightly colored leaf shaped wafer made of leaf paste.
• Pahiyas festival is celebrated every May 15 by people from Lucban, Quezon in honor of San Isidro de Labrador, the saint of farmers.
• Fertility dance or Sayaw sa Obando is a dance ritual celebrated every May.
• Sayaw sa Obando follows the tune of bamboo instruments.
• The people of Obando, Bulacan used to wear traditional costumes to dance on the streets followed by images of their saints with the song Santa Clara Pinung-Pino every Sayaw sa Obando.
• The saints of people from Obando are:

  San Pascual Baylon (St. Paschal)

  Santa Clara (St. Claire)

  Nuestra Señora de Salambao (Our Lady of Salambao)
• Morion means mask or visor.
• Morion masks are used to represent the Roman soldiers abd Syrian mercenaries within the story of the Passion of Christ.
• Moriones is the mask and costume worn for Moriones festival.
• Moriones festival is held every week in Marinduque with the reenactment of the feast of St. Longinus.
• St. Longinus is a blind Roman centurion and was the soldier who pierced the side of crucified Jesus with a spear. He received healing when blood and water fell from Jesus to his blind eye.
• Ati-atihan indicates to be like Aetas.
• Aetas are the first settlers in Panay, Aklan.
• Ati-atihan is a feast held every January in honor of Santo Niño (Infant Jesus). It finished on the 3rd Sunday in Kalibo, Aklan.
• Sinulog comes from the Cebuano adverb sulog meaning like water current movement. It describes the forward and backward movement of the Sinulog dance.
• Sinulog is held in Cebu City in Cebu, Maasin City Southern Leyte, Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental, Cagayan de Oro City and Balingasag in Misamis Oriental, and Butuan City.
• Sinulog is held every 3rd Sunday of January.
• Before the main Sinulog celebration, people celebrate the Sinulog ng Kabataan Competition first. It is held by youth groups 1 week before the grand parade.
• Dinagyang festival is held every 4th Sunday of January in Iloilo City in honor of Santo Niño and the arrival of Panay settlers.
• Flores de Mayo came from the Spanish word flores meaning flowers.
• Flores de Mayo is also called Flores de Maria (Flowers of Mary) or Alay (offering).
• Sagala was introduced by Spaniards.
• Santacruzan is Spanish for sacred cross.
• Flores de Mayo means Flowers of May.
• Flores de Mayo is held by Catholics and Aglipayans every May in honor of Virgin Mary.
• Santacruzan is the pageant held on the last day of Flores de Mayo in honor of St. Helena or Reyna Elena and her son Constantine the Great in finding the True Cross.
• The True Cross is where Jesus was crucified.
• For Flores de Mayo in San Ildefonso, Bulacan children are gathered every afternoon to offer flowers to the Virgin Mary after the Novena prayer. It is called pag-aalay.
• Pag-aalay is done while singing Itong Bulaklak na Alay and ends with the song Paalam.
• Santacruzan is celebrated as Sagala.