WELCOME
Hi and welcome to our blog, we are here to give you all a brief overview of what Philippine fiestas are all about. Fiestas are unique to the Philippine culture, one that we can all be proud of. So enjoy as you scroll down and see the colorful and fascinating Fiestas of the Philippines! =) Comments are loved! –vpc & bac
According to our research, the Fiesta basically originated from our Spanish colonial roots. It is said that we got our tradition of fiestas from them as a form of celebration for patron saints of a particular town. It is done on the day of the feast day of a saint. The festivities are celebrated with Church ceremonies, parades, fireworks, dancing, lots of food and a whole lot more. Fiestas differ from region to region and words cant really define the entire experience of being in a fiesta.
From http://www.philfest.pagjapan.org/, it defines fiestas as:
“If you are not Filipino and you want to know the meaning of fiesta, the first thing you'd probably do is check the dictionary. Don't. I'm telling you. It's a waste of time.
If I can tell you one thing about fiestas, Filipino fiestas in particular, it's that they are never boring. Never. Looking at some book or some electronic gadget to find its meaning is contradicting its very essence. First of all, fiesta is not looking down on something. It's looking up. You look up and marvel at the clear blue sky, then you tell yourself, “this is going to be a fantastic day”. Your eyes wander to the multi-colored flags hanging on lines tied to poles overhead. You tilt your head skyward to find where the lively beat of the drums, the clang of cymbals and the sound of trumpets are coming from. You lift your nose and follow the aroma of sumptuous food.
That is fiesta. You can never define it in a book. You will know its meaning by using your senses. You will appreciate its beauty by experiencing it.”
Hi and welcome to our blog, we are here to give you all a brief overview of what Philippine fiestas are all about. Fiestas are unique to the Philippine culture, one that we can all be proud of. So enjoy as you scroll down and see the colorful and fascinating Fiestas of the Philippines! =) Comments are loved! –vpc & bac
According to our research, the Fiesta basically originated from our Spanish colonial roots. It is said that we got our tradition of fiestas from them as a form of celebration for patron saints of a particular town. It is done on the day of the feast day of a saint. The festivities are celebrated with Church ceremonies, parades, fireworks, dancing, lots of food and a whole lot more. Fiestas differ from region to region and words cant really define the entire experience of being in a fiesta.
From http://www.philfest.pagjapan.org/, it defines fiestas as:
“If you are not Filipino and you want to know the meaning of fiesta, the first thing you'd probably do is check the dictionary. Don't. I'm telling you. It's a waste of time.
If I can tell you one thing about fiestas, Filipino fiestas in particular, it's that they are never boring. Never. Looking at some book or some electronic gadget to find its meaning is contradicting its very essence. First of all, fiesta is not looking down on something. It's looking up. You look up and marvel at the clear blue sky, then you tell yourself, “this is going to be a fantastic day”. Your eyes wander to the multi-colored flags hanging on lines tied to poles overhead. You tilt your head skyward to find where the lively beat of the drums, the clang of cymbals and the sound of trumpets are coming from. You lift your nose and follow the aroma of sumptuous food.
That is fiesta. You can never define it in a book. You will know its meaning by using your senses. You will appreciate its beauty by experiencing it.”
So lets get started with taking a look at what Philippine fiestas look like.
SINULOG FESTIVAL
The Sinulog is an annual festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City, Philippines. The festival honors the child Jesus, known as the Santo Niño (Holy Child), patron of the city of Cebu. It is a dance ritual that commemorates the Cebuano people's pagan origin, and their acceptance of Christianity.
The festival features a street parade with participants in bright-colored costumes dancing to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. Smaller versions of the festival are held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate, and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a "Sinulog sa Kabataan", performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the grand parade.
Recently, the festival has been promoted as a tourist attraction, with a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is usually held in the Cebu City Sports Complex.
The Sinulog is an annual festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City, Philippines. The festival honors the child Jesus, known as the Santo Niño (Holy Child), patron of the city of Cebu. It is a dance ritual that commemorates the Cebuano people's pagan origin, and their acceptance of Christianity.
The festival features a street parade with participants in bright-colored costumes dancing to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. Smaller versions of the festival are held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate, and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a "Sinulog sa Kabataan", performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the grand parade.
Recently, the festival has been promoted as a tourist attraction, with a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is usually held in the Cebu City Sports Complex.
Recently, the festival has been promoted as a tourist attraction, with a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is usually held in the Cebu City Sports Complex.
The Sinulog celebration traditionally lasts for nine days, culminating on the final day with the Sinulog Grand Parade. The day before the parade, the Fluvial Procession is held at dawn with the Santo Niño carried on a pump boat from Mandaue City to Cebu City, decked with hundreds of flowers and candles. The procession ends at the Basilica where a re-enactment of the Christianizing of Cebu is performed. In the afternoon, a more solemn procession takes place along the major streets of the city, which last for hours due to large crowd participating in the event.
The Sinulog celebration traditionally lasts for nine days, culminating on the final day with the Sinulog Grand Parade. The day before the parade, the Fluvial Procession is held at dawn with the Santo Niño carried on a pump boat from Mandaue City to Cebu City, decked with hundreds of flowers and candles. The procession ends at the Basilica where a re-enactment of the Christianizing of Cebu is performed. In the afternoon, a more solemn procession takes place along the major streets of the city, which last for hours due to large crowd participating in the event.
On the feast day at the Basilica, a Pontifical Mass is celebrated by the Cardinal with the assistance of several bishops of Cebu. Most devotees go to the Basilica to attend the mass before heading out to the streets to watch the parade.
The word Sinulog comes from the Cebuano adverb sulog which is "like water current movement," which describes the forward-backward movement of the Sinulog dance. The dance consists of two steps forward and one step backward, done to the sound of drums. The dance is categorized into Sinulog-base, Free-Interpretation. Candle vendors at the Basilica continue to perform the traditional version of the dance when lighting a candle for the customer, usually accompanied by songs in the native language.
The Sinulog dance steps were believed to originate from Rajah Humabon's adviser, Baladhay. It was during Humabon's grief when Baladhay was driven sick. He then ordered his native tribe to bring Baladhay into a chapel where the Santo Niño was enthroned. Moments later, surprisingly, Baldhay was heard shouting, and was found dancing with outmost alertness. Baladhay was questioned as to whether why was he awake, and was shouting. Baladhay explained that he found a small child, pointing to the image of the Santo Niño, on top of him, and trying to wake him up. He, at great astonishment, scared the child away by shouting but couldn't explain why he was dancing the movements of the river. Up to this day, the two-steps forward, and the one-step backward movement dance is still used by the Santo Niño devotees believing that it was the Santo Niño's choice to have Baladhay dance what the holy child wants them to dance.
Pahiyas Festival
Pahiyas is derived from the local Filipino word “Payas,” which means to decorate. This festival is acclaimed as “the fiesta to end all fiestas.” With its colorful decorations, you’ll surely agree.
Held every year on the 15th of May, the San Isidro Pahiyas Festival, has become one of the most popular must see fiestas in the Philippines. Tourists and locals alike flock to Quezon province to witness this spectacular event.
During this festival, each household decorates the facade of their house, each one trying to outdo another in a friendly competition. A winner is picked every year and many prizes are up for grabs to the household with the most creative and unique decorations.
Each family adorns their house with “kiping,” a popular and by far the most attractive embellishment to be placed as decorations. Kiping is made out of grounded rice flour, shaped by using "cabal" or banana leaves. It is colored radiantly in red, fuchsia, green and other bright colors.
Each family adorns their house with “kiping,” a popular and by far the most attractive embellishment to be placed as decorations. Kiping is made out of grounded rice flour, shaped by using "cabal" or banana leaves. It is colored radiantly in red, fuchsia, green and other bright colors.
The Pahiyas festival not only offers a lovely sight, in addition, it holds a tiangge or a bazaar of their handmade crafts like buri (straw) hats, bags, their famous longganisa, different sweets and many more.
These two festivals are just few of the many festivals celebrated in the Philippines. There are much much more in various regions, each one unique from the other though there is one thing that all have in common, you will definitely enjoy and have fun. So go out and experience one of the best that Philippine culture has to offer, HAPPY FIESTA TO EVERYONE!
