Summer in the Philippines is festival season. The tradition of fiesta started 300 years ago during the Spanish colonization, meant to either honor patron saints, commemorate an event in history, or show gratitude for a good harvest. Each locality has at least one local festival of its own and it is said that everyday, there is a fiesta going on somewhere in the country.
Definitely, all festivals in the country are characterized with overflowing food, festive music and dancing. And through good and bad times, the fiesta must go on. So, if you are looking to make your summer vacation a little more special, consider taking in these 10 great Philippines festivals.
1) OBANDO FERTILITY RITES. Obando is a small town in Bulacan located in the banks of Angat River. Every year, a fiesta is celebrated in this town in honor of its three patron saints: Santa Clara, the patron saint of the childless; San Pascual Baylon, a 16th century shepherd who danced his prayers and became a model of religious virtue; and the Lady of Salambao, who got her name because the image of the Immaculate Conception was fished out by a fisherman, with the use of a salambao net. What makes the Obando fiesta unique among other festivals is the dance performed in the streets by childless women. With both their hands in the air, they swing and sway wildly to the Santa Clara melody with the fervent hope of being blessed with a child.
2) PAHIYAS. Held in Lucban, Quezon, the Pahiyas Festival is celebrated so that the locals will have a bountiful harvest. They serve the kiping and other rice-based delicacies, such as suman. The kiping is a colored and almost transparent rice tortilla which are also used to decorate houses during the fiesta. Guests of the town are invited to taste and have their fill of all the foods that are available to everyone.
3) CARABAO FESTIVAL. On the feast day of San Isidro, the farming towns of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija; Pulilan, Bulacan; and Angono, Rizal pay homage to the farmer’s best friend -- the lowly carabao. Early in the morning of May 15, each farmer assembles his carefully groomed and gaily dressed carabao at the church yard, where the priest comes to bless them. After this ceremony, they are lined up to parade around the town. The highlight of the day’s activities is when the carabaos race against each other across the fields. At the finish line, the carabaos kneel as if in prayer.
4) KAAMULAN FESTIVAL. Held in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, Kaamulan Festival celebrates Mindanao’s diverse culture and arts. Unlike other festivals, where schoolchildren are made to appear as natives, in Kaamulan, it is Bukidnon’s indigenous groups namely, the Talaandig, Higaunon, Umayamnon, Manobo, Tigwahanon, Matigsalug and Bukidnon, who perform the rituals and dances, attracting many local and foreign tourists.
5) BANGKERO FESTIVAL. Pagsanjan, the tourist capital of Laguna, holds the annual "Bangkero Festival" to honor its hardworking "bangkeros" or boatmen. These boatmen impress tourists with their skills in maneuvering boats upstream against wild rapids. The festival features activities such as the fluvial parade, exhibitions and streetdancing competition.
6) TABAK FESTIVAL. Coinciding with Tabaco City’s celebration of its Foundation Anniversary, the festival derived its name from the local word "tabak", meaning bolo, where the name of this city in Albay was taken from. The highlight of the event is a street presentation where participants showcase the legend of the city.
7) STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL. The municipality of La Trinindad in Benguet, known as the Strawberry Capital of the Philippines, features the largest strawberry cake in this annual festival. A trade fair is also held, which features strawberry products and cutflowers.
8) PINTADOS DE PASI FESTIVAL. The Pintados Festival in Passi City, Iloilo, is perhaps one of the best known festivals in the Visayas region. Performers, in its theatrical-like streetdancing presentation, are adorned in traditional body tattoo.
9) RODEO MASBATEÑO. Celebrating its own cowboy culture, each year, Masbate City holds the colorful Rodeo Masbateño. It features all the usual rodeo attractions typical to rodeo events in the US. Visitors can expect a lively show of cattle wrestling, bull riding, and roping. The event also has its own local flavor and includes events such as the popular carabao races.
10) SANTACRUZAN, also known as Flores de Mayo, is probably the most popular festival in the country that is why it has been dubbed as the "Queen of Filipino Festivals". It is celebrated in almost all towns in the country, re-enacting the time when Queen Helena and Constantine searched and found the Cross of Jesus Christ -- thus the name "Santacruzan". The main event of the festival is a parade of the town’s most beautiful ladies, and the loveliest among these women is usually the "Reyna Elena."
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