Lesson 3: Philippine Festivals

• Why do we celebrate festivals?

  1. To honor patron saints
  2. Thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest
  3. Commemoration of an event
  4. Tribute to a special occasion or a local specialty
• Religious Festivals

  1. Traslacion - "transfer"

  - 9th of January

  - re-enacts the transfer of the miraculous Black Nazarene from Intramuros to the Minor Basilica (Quiapo Church)
• Religious Festivals

  2. Sinulog Festival (Cebu)

  • held every third Sunday of January to honor the holy image of Senior Sto. Nino of Cebu
  • graceful dance
  • term derived from the word "sulog" which means a movement that's like the water current
• Religious Festivals

  3. Dinagyang Festival (Iloilo)

  • celebrated every fourth Sunday of January to honor Sto. Nino
  • origin: 1968 when Fr. Sulpicio Enderes, OSA, brought a replica of the image of Senior Sto. Nino de Cebu to Iloilo City
• Religious Festivals

  4. Ati-atihan Festival

  • held on the third Sunday of January
  • features a parade of drumbeating Ati-atihans (make-believe Atis) and the cry of "hala bira!"
• Religious Festivals

  5. Sto. Nino De Malolos Fiesta

  • held during last Sunday of January.
  • biggest and largest expression of devotion to the Holy Child Jesus in the Luzon Island
• Religious Festivals

  6. Pahiyas Festival

  • held every May 15 in honor of San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers, for a bountiful harvest.
  • "kiping" - colored cooked rice dough with a leaf shaped design
• Religious Festivals

  7. Moriones (Marinduque)

  • during Holy Week
  • outdoor play (via crucis) that reenacts the story of Longinus, the centurion who pierced the side of Jesus on the cross.
• Religious Festivals

  8. Pamulinawen Festival (Laoag, Ilocos Norte)

  • held every first week of the February
  • Feast Day of St. William the Hermit and our Lady of Peace, which is the city's Patron Saint.
• Religious Festivals

  9. Piat Sambali Festival (Cagayan)

  • celebrated every last week of June
  • a religious and cultural revival to commemorate the Christianization of Itawes region of Cagayan
• Religious Festivals

  10. La Hermosa Festival (Zamboanga)

  • "Fiesta Pilar"
  • a month-long festival held in October, honoring the Nuestra Senora de la Virgen del Pilar whose image is enshrined in the equally historic and venerated Fort Pilar.
• Religious Festivals

  11. Obando Fertility Festival (Obando, Bulacan)

  • annual three-day feast from May 17-19
  • believed that couples are struggling to conceive a child will be blessed and finally have their prayers answered by joining in the feast.
• The three saints honored in Obando Festival

  1. San Pascual Baylon
  2. Immaculada de Salambao
  3. Santa Clara de Asis
• Thanksgiving Festivals

  1. Tobacco Festival (Candon, Ilocos Sur)

  • celebrated every last week of March in thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest of tobacco.
• Thanksgiving Festivals

  2. Butanding Festival (Sorsogon)

  • held from April 28-30
  • does not only usher the butanding (whaleshark) season, but also give thanks for the blessings given to the locals of Donsol.
• Thanksgiving Festivals

  3. Kadayawan Festival (Davao)

  • thanksgiving gifts of nature and a celebration of life every third week of August, highlighting the 11 tribes of Davao City.
  • term derived from "madayaw" meaning treasured or valuable
• Festivals Commemorating Events and Honoring Specialties from Different Regions

  1. Panagbenga Festival (Baguio City)

  • "flower festival"
  • The festival started to revive the city’s industry after the devastation of the 1990 Luzon earthquake. This celebration has become Baguio’s trademark.
• Festivals Commemorating Events and Honoring Specialties from Different Regions

  2. Pattaraday Festival (Santiago City, Cagayan)

  • Ybanag word "pattaraday" means unity
  • held during May to commemorate the founding anniversary of the city and the coming together of several ethnic groups
• Festivals Commemorating Events and Honoring Specialties from Different Regions

  3. Masskara Festival (Bacolod City)

  • literal translation - "many faces"
  • celebrated every third week of October to pay tribute to the sugar industry that once flourished in the region.
• Festivals Commemorating Events and Honoring Specialties from Different Regions

  4. F'lomlok Festival (Polomolok, South Cotabato)

  • F'lomlok is the B'laan term for "hunting grounds"
  • celebrated every September.
  • showcases the local products of the region.
• Festivals Commemorating Events and Honoring Specialties from Different Regions

  5. Bangus Festival (Dagupan City, Pangasinan)

  • held every April and May in Dagupan.
  • celebration of the city's thriving aquaculture specializing in bangus or milkfish.
• Fluvial Parade

  1. Pagoda ng Krus sa Wawa (Bocaue, Bulacan)

  • every first Sunday of July
  • commemorates the discovery of the miraculous cross floating on the Bocaue river 200 years ago.
  • a nine-day novena (Lutrina), during which they feast and celebrate the legendary discovery of the Holy Cross from the Bocaue River
• Fluvial Parade

  2. Our Lady of Penafrancia Fluvial Parade (Naga City)

  • celebrated every third Sunday of September in Naga City, Bicol.
  • On the last day, the image is returned to her shrine following the Naga River route.
• Fluvial Parade

  3. Apung Iru Libad Festival (Apalit, Pampanga)

  • biggest and most elaborate celebration occurs on the Rio Grande (Pampanga River).
  • the first libad begins on June 28 and the last one occurs on June 30.
  • "Libad" means a fluvial procession is held in honor of a patron saint. In Apalit, it is to honor of St. Peter, whom locals intimately refer to as Apung Iru.