Pintados Festival

The Pintados Festival or Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival is annually celebrated on the 29th of June in Tacloban City, Leyte, to honor the Señor Santo Niño or Holy Child. The festival's highlights include the Leyte Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals, the 17th Pintados Festival Ritual Dance Presentation, and the Pagrayhak Grand Parade. In the Visayan dialect, "Kasadyaan" means "merriment and jollity."

 History

When the Spaniards came to the Visayas in 1668, they found heavily tattooed men and women whom they called Pintados. The Pintados had their own culture and customs, such as commemorating victories by holding festivals and honoring their gods. In the 17th century, the friars banned the use of tattoos, branding the practice as savage and evil.

In 1888, missionaries from Spain brought the image of the Child Jesus that was known as El Capitan to the island. The Leyte natives were drawn to the story of the Child Jesus and became devotees and worshipers of El Capitan.

             In 1986, the businessmen and entrepreneurs of Tacloban City founded the Pintados Foundation, Inc. They began organizing religious cultural activities for the city fiesta in honor of the Sto. Niño. Former Leyte governor Remedios Loreto-Petilla spearheaded the festival which was first celebrated on 12 May 1996. In 1999, the celebration was moved to 29 June in honor of the Señor Santo Niño de Leyte.

 Celebration

The Pintados Festival recalls the pre-Hispanic history of the native Leytenos and showcases the cultural heritage of the people of Leyte and Samar by incorporating native music and dances. The word "pintados" refers to the body tattoos of the native warriors which represented courage and beauty. At that time, getting tattoos was painful and open to the risk of infection, therefore, a man who faced the dangers of tattooing and lived was considered strong and brave. In addition, he had to earn his tattoos by fighting wars and battles. Being a pintado was also a status symbol. The highest ranked or bravest warriors were heavily tattooed from head to toe.

             The highlight of the Pintados Festival is the parade of street dancers who are covered from head to toe in painted designs that represent the tattooed warriors of the past. The parade traditionally begins at the Balayuan Towers and proceeds throughout Tacloban, Leyte.

Panagbenga Festival

Panagbenga Festival (English: Flower Festival) is a month-long annual flower festival occurring in Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines. The term is ofMalayo-Polynesian origin, meaning "season of blooming". The festival, held during the month of February, was created as a tribute to the city's flowers and as a way to rise up from the devastation of the 1990 Luzon earthquake. The festival includes floats that are decorated with flowers not unlike those used in Pasadena'sRose Parade. The festival also includes street dancing, presented by dancers clad in flower-inspired costumes, that is inspired by the Bendian, an Ibaloi dance of celebration that came from the Cordillera region.

Aside from economic boosts from tourism, the festival also helped the younger generation of indigenous people to rediscover their culture's old traditions. The indigenous people was first wary with government-led tourism because of the threat that they will interfere or change their communities' rituals.

History

The A. Lim of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA). Entries from the annual Camp John Nichol Sibug art contest gave its official logo: a spray of sunflowers. The festival was set in February to boost tourism as it was considered as a month of inactivity between the busy days of Christmas season and the Holy Week and the summer season.

                                                                               In 1996, archivist and curator Ike Picpican suggested that the festival be renamed as Panagbenga, a Kankanaey term that means "a season of blossoming, a time for flowering".

Kadayawan Festival

Kadayawan Festival is one of the most popular and globally famous festivals in the Philippines, celebrated every 3rd week of August in Davao City. This weeklong celebration signifies thanksgiving for the bountiful gifts from Davao's fertile land, forests to rivers and seas.

 History

The term "kadayawan" is derived from the prehistoric word, madayaw, a warm and friendly greeting also used to explain a thing that is valuable, superior, beautiful, good, or profitable. According to legend, the ethnic tribes of Mount Apo usually gather when they had a bountiful harvest. This ritual serves as a thanksgiving to their gods particularly to Bathala, (all-powerful supreme God) where there is so much merriment including singing, dancing and offerings to their divine protectors. They lay baskets of fruits, trays of colorful native orchids, rice and corn grains, fruits and vegetables including farming instruments like bolos and knives on mats--a familiar scene on the village squares of old Dabaw.

           In 1986, the term, "Kadayawan sa Dabaw" was first called "Unlad Proyekto Davao", a government-initiated program which aims to unite the Davaoeños after the martial law era as well as to promoteDavao as a tourist and business area. At the time, it was called "Apo Duwaling," a name created from the icons Davao was famous for: Mt. Apo, the country's highest peak; durian, the king of fruits; andwaling-waling, the queen of orchids. Davao is also home of the majestic Philippine eagle, the national bird. In celebration of the city's bountiful fruits, flowers and ethnic culture, the festival was renamed "Kadayawan sa Dabaw" in 1988 by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

At present, this world-renowned festival honors Davao's artistic, cultural and historical heritage as they celebrate on the streets in complete revelry their thanksgiving for all of Davao's blessings.

 

Activities

The festivities start with tribal dances and music with "Indak indak sa Kadalanan" (street dancing). The street dancers are all dressed in ethnic-inspired and colorful costumes. The Floral Float parade on the other hand showcases the city's floral and agricultural wealth. The streets come alive as they parade the streets and boast the city's rich culture and arts.

The celebration often include fruit and flower show, trade fair, tribal/civic/military parade, traditional sports activities, music festival, dance and singing contests, horse fight, native and power boat races, Search for Bya'Neng ng Kadayawan or the Miss Kadayawan beauty contest and street dancing.

Two of the main attractions during the festival are the "Lumadnong Kasaulogan" (Indigenous Peoples Festival) and the "Subay sa Lumadnong Kagikan" (Contemporary Indigenous-motivated Celebrations) which capture the primary essence of celebrating the life and culture of the indigenous peoples in the province.

The Dinagyang Festival

 Dinagyang Festival

Dinagyang Festival is celebrated every fourth weekend of January to honor the Christianization of the natives and to respect the Holy Child Jesus. On this day, streets of Iloilo City will once again come alive as the Ilonggos celebrate the annual festivity. It is a very colorful parade coupled with a dramatization in honor of the patron Saint Sto. Niño as the object of performs offerings and prayers amidst the cracking of drums and shouts of "Viva Señor Santo Niño." The thundering of "Hala Bira" by the tribe members makes the celebration a lively one. It is also a very popular tagline used by Ilonggos to express their warm participation during the "Dinagyang" celebration. A tribute in honor of Señor Sto. Niño whom Ilonggos believe was very miraculous in times of famine and drought.

            Dinagyang is an annual event, when the whole town rejoices, shouting their pride of being an Ilonggo and telling their culture. It is a wonderful looking back to the past. It is not just a celebration, it is a religious evangelization. Going back to Iloilo is more like a past fulfilled and a looking forward for future celebrations. It is our culture. The Aeta culture. That's why it is painting the town black.

The Birth and Evolution of Dinagyang

The root word is dagyang. In Ilonggo, it means to make happy. Dinagyang is the present progressive word of the Ilonggo word, meaning making merry or merry-making. A religious and cultural activity, it is a celebration of Ilonggos whose bodies are painted with black in effect to imitate the black, small and slender Negritos who are the aborigines of Panay. The warriors are dressed in fashionable and colorful Aeta costumes and dance artistically and rhythmically with complicated formations along with the loud thrashing and sound of drums.

         Before, Dinagyang was called Ati-atihan like that of the Kalibo festivity. History tells that it started when a replica of the image of Señor Sto. Niño was brought to the San Jose Parish Church in Iloilo from Cebu. The people of Iloilo honored the coming of the image and then became devotees. Until they made the day of the Image's arrival as his feast day which falls on the 4th Sunday of January. Since 1968, it was already considered a yearly celebration, culminated by a nine-day Novena, an Ati-ati contest and a fluvial procession on the last day.

             Recognized now to the annual, socio-cultural-religious festival of Iloilo City, the word Dinagyang was made up by an old-timer, Ilonggo writer and radio broadcaster, the late Pacifico Sumagpao Sudario, and first used to name the festival when it was launched in 1977, to make it unique from other Ati-atihan celebrations.

      Iloilo City's Dinagyang has its early beginnings in 1968, when a model of the image of Sr. Santo Ni¤o was brought from Cebu City to the San Jose Parish Church by Fr. Suplicio Ebderes, OSA with a delegation of Cofradia del Sto. Niño, Cebu members. The image and party were enthusiastically welcomed at Iloilo City by then parish priest of San Jose Church, Fr. Ambrosio Galindez, OSA, then Mayor Renerio Ticao, and the devotees of the Sto. Niño in Iloilo City. The image was brought to San Jose Parish Church and preserved there up to this time, where a novena in His honor is held every Friday. The climax of the nine-day novena was the Fluvial Procession.

       In the early morning light of dawn, the respected Santo Niño image is borne on a decorative banca in a fluvial procession, starting from the mouth of the Iloilo River at Fort San Pedro, winding all the way to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol which stands on the bank of the Iloilo River.

                  If the festival had to be developed into a major tourist attraction, it would be so big in magnitude and the Confradia thought that it could no longer cope with the demands of a tourist come-on. The year 1976 also brought another feature of the festival. Street celebrations and audience participation were introduced and encouraged.

              At that point, the Santo Niño is met by the Hermano-Hermana Mayor devotees, and Ati-atihan tribes. With the Santo Niño leading, the foot procession starts, passing through the main streets of the city and ending up at San Jose Church, where a high mass is then celebrated. As years went by, the celebration continued to be highlighted by a mass at San Jose Parish at the break of the dawn; by a "Kasadyahan" which is the opening event of the celebration, also a merrymaking but is a dramatized dance presentation about the Aeta's survival, the landing of the 10 Bornean Datus in Panay and the colonization; and by dances and more merry making which have become a tourist attraction.

             As more and more tribes from the barangays, schools and nearby towns and provinces participate, the contest became more competitive in terms of costumes, choreography and sounds. The tribes compete for the following Special Awards: Best in Discipline, Best in Costume, Best in Performance, Best in Music and Best in Choreography. These are aside from the major awards for the champion, first runner-up, second runner-up, third runner-up and fourth runner-up. Participating tribes learn to design artistically and with originality in making use of Ilonggo native materials like dried anahaw leaves, buri or coconut palm leaves and husks and other barks of Philippine trees. Choreography was studied and practices were kept secret. Sounds were seen as an authentic medium that keeps the tribes going in uniform.

They also include a brief dramatization of how Christianity was brought to Panay and the arrival of the 10 Bornean Datus telling about the exchange of the Aetas of their land for the Borneans' Golden Salakot (native hat) and a long pearl necklace which is also parallel with the Kasadyahan celebration. During the celebration, people participate with the Kasadyahan. Some dressed in Aeta costumes, some paint their faces with black paint, some put on colored artificial tattoos and wear other Aeta ornaments. At night, there is public dancing on selected areas.

The Higantes Festival

Higantes Festival, also known as the Feast of San Clemente, is celebrated every November 23 in the town of Angono, Rizal. This is a major festival in honor of San Clemente, the patron saint of fishermen. His image is carried by male devotees during a procession accompanied by "pahadores" (devotees dressed in colorful local costumes or fishermen's clothes, wearing wooden shoes and carrying boat paddles, fish nets, traps, etc.) and "higantes" (paper-mâché giants measuring 10-12 feet in height and 4-5 feet in diameter). This street event ends in a procession to Laguna de Bay until the image is brought back to its sanctuary.

History

More than a century ago, when Angono was still a Spanish hacienda, the hacienda owners prohibited the townspeople from holding any celebrations. Aside from the costly preparation, they also wanted to restrict pagan festivities. They allowed only one annual celebration -- the town fiesta in honor of its patron saint, San Clemente.

The townspeople took advantage of this sole festivity, prepared lots of food, wore colorful costumes, and held a big procession featuring big paper-mâché caricatures of their Spanish landlords -- an art form imported from Mexico by Spanish friars. These multi-colored, humongous, comical and sometimes scary 12-footers were called "Higantes" or giants.

Before, only two or three higantes were made, representing a "mag-anak" (father, mother and son/daughter). In 1987, Mr. Perdigon Vocalan suggested that all thirteen barangay must have two or three higantes, symbolizong the barangay’s industry or personality. This idea materialized with the help of the Department of Tourism and Provincial Tourism Office. Since then, the towns folk maintained this practice and elevated it into an art form. This colorful celebration boasts of around 40 different higantes representing each barangay and attracting local and foreign tourists.

 Activities

The Higantes Festival is part of a two-week long celebration of the Angono Town Fiesta. Activities include a Misa Cantada (a special sung mass), novena, song and dance contests, fried "itik" festival and cooking competition, a 5k Fun Run, on-the-spot painting contest, art exhibit, job fair, bingo and videoke challenge, and of course, the highlights of the festivities -- the Race of the Higantes and the Procession of the Pagoda.

A procession is held throughout the town, with the images brought to the banks of the Laguna de Bay where they would be enshrined in a floating pagoda for a fluvial procession until the event concludes with the image of San Clemente returned to the church.

During the procession, thousands of revelers splash water on unsuspecting participants and onlookers. They use water bottles, squirt guns, and even drinking glasses, spraying water on everyone passing by.

The making of the higantes

In olden days, the heads of the higantes were made of paper-mâché. A model of the head was carved out of clay. Once the clay mold was dry, strips of newspapers would be glued together, one strip on top of the other. Once the right thickness was achieved, the paper-mâché would be cut open to separate it from the mold and the hollow head was glued back together, ready to be painted with the details of the face.

Bamboo strips or yantok were used as the skeleton frame for the body. It would then be covered with yards of cloth resembling their characters. The head was attached to the body and a person could go inside and carry the higante around.

In modern times, clay was changed into Plaster of Paris and resin. Tougher material like fiberglass is applied to the mold instead of paper and thin strips of aluminum are used for the body frame for durability purposes.