10 Famous Festivals in the Philippines

 10 Famous Festival in the Philippines

1.Sinulog Festival of Cebu City

The famous Sinulog festival in Cebu City is held every year on the third Sunday of January. The festival is characterized by a  very long parade with many groups of persons dressed in colourful costumes, finding their way through the streets while dancing the Sinulog. To distinguish the festival from the popular Ati-Atihan Festival on Panay island,this festival is characterized by a different dance. This Sinulog dance, is now the traditional and ritual dance in honor of Santo Niño. The dance is accompanied by the sound of the drums:  all the time moving two steps forward followed by one step backward. Though the dance is already very old, the parade  is rather young! 1980 was the first year that the parade was organized.

2.Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City

The Dinagyang is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines held on the fourth Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog In Cebu and the Ati-Atihan in Aklan. It is held both to honor the Santo Niño and to celebrate the arrival on Panayof Malay settlers and the subsequent selling of the island to them by the Atis

Dinagyang began after Rev. Fr. Ambrosio Galindez of a local Roman Catholic parish introduced the devotion to Santo Niño in November 1967. In 1968, a replica of the original image of the Santo Niño de Cebu was brought to Iloilo by Fr. Sulpicio Enderez as a gift to the Parish of San Jose. The faithful, led by members of Confradia del Santo Niño de Cebu, Iloilo Chapter, worked to give the image a fitting reception starting at the Iloilo Airport and parading down the streets of Iloilo.

3.Masskara Festival of Bacolod City

 

The Masskara Festival (Hiligaynon: Pista sang MassKara, Filipino: Fiesta ng MassKara) is a festival held each year inBacolod, Philippines, every third weekend of October nearest October 19, the city's Charter anniversary.

The festival first began in 1980 during a period of crisis. The province relied on sugar cane as its primary agricultural crop, and the price of sugar was at an all-time low due to the introduction of sugar substitutes like high fructose corn syrup in the United States.^[1] It was also a time of tragedy; on April 22 of that year, the inter-island vessel MV Don Juan carrying many Negrenses, including those belonging to prominent families in Bacolod City, collided with the tanker Tacloban City and sank. An estimated 700 lives were lost in the tragedy.^[2]

4.Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo, Aklan

The Ati-Atihan Festival is held every year in January in Kalibo, the capital of Aklan province. It is a two-week festival  that ends on the third Sunday of the month. 

The Ati-Atihan Festival of Aklan is called the Mother of All Filipino Festivals.  Kalibo has been known for its Ati-Atihan before all the other neighboring provinces started theirs. The name of the festival means "pretending to be like an Ati." The Ati, also known asNegritos, are an indigenous people who have distinctively black skin and curly hair. In the year 1212 AD, ten datus from Borneo landed on Panay island (where Aklan is located) and amicably purchased land from the native king Marikudo. They had a feast to celebrate. Today, celebrants of the Ati-atihan Festival paint their faces with black soot. Locals who perform in the parade also wear colorful elaborate costumes. It can be compared with Mardi Gras in other parts of the world. 

5.Kadayawan Festival of Davao City

Kadayawan is the people's festival. It's a thanksgiving for the year that was and the year which will be. A celebration of the city's icons - the Philippine Eagle, Mt Apo, Durian, and Waling Waling. And most of all, it's a celebration of all festivities in Davao making it the King of Festivals in Davao.

In this festival fruits are celebrated. But these are not you're ordinary kind of fruits. Each and every one of them unique. For example... The Durian - "King of the Fruits" and Mangosteen - "Queen of the Fruits". The fruits are also cheapest here. The floats in this festival are very colorful thanks to the flowers grown in the cities. And this fest is know internationally.

The only festival in the island of Mindanao that's known internationally.

6.Pasigarbo sa Sugbo Festival, Cebu Province

Cebu's Festival of Festivals. The biggest Festival competition in the province for at least 44 competing Municipalities showcasing their respective festivity.

Pasigarbo sa Sugbo Festival is CEBU'S FESTIVAL of FESTIVALS... Every AUGUST more than 40 COMPETING CEBUANO FESTIVALS from different CITIES and MUNICIPALITIES in CEBU commence in one stage to create a one great spectacle showcasing the different products and culture of each town through dance thus called PASIGARBO SA SUGBO which literally means PRIDE OF CEBU in English. This years Editiion of Pasigarbo sa Sugbo will be held on AUGUST 11 in line with CEBU PROVINCE'S 443rd Anniversary.

Home of the world class festivals PASIGARBBO SA SUGBO FESTIVAL OF FESTIVALS- CEBU is known to be the FESTIVAL CAPITAL OF THE Philippines with over 40 Existing WORLD-CLASS Festivals held annually in different towns & municipalities of Cebu. Pasigarbo sa Sugbo is a colorful exhibition & showdown of all Cebuano festivals

7.Bailes de Luces of La Castellana, Negros Occidental

Bailes de Luces of La Castellana (literally translated as Dance of Lights) is a Festival of Hope and Thanksgiving. Celebrated every 30th of December (Street Dancing Competition) and 5th of January (Arena Showdown) Bailes de Luces is a spectacular festival that showcases the Filipino's creative mind couple with the wildest of imagination. The most colorful festival in town that utilizes technology through the use of Light Emitting Diodes that radiates colorful rays of lights throughout the performance. A Festival that is best watched live for one to experience the magical interplay of colorful lights wrapping every dancer's body. A one of its kind Festivity. The One and the only in the world. Performing in one Varity show of a national television (ABS-CBN's It's Showtime), La Castellana's Bailes de Luces gained not just a score of 9.9/10 Great festival world class.One of a kind festival... The blend of dancing lights and colorful costume and headdress of the dancers makes it more delightful... You don't want to wink your eye while watching for you not to miss anything... Watching it once makes you comeback for the next time..

8.Panagbenga Festival of Baguio City

Panagbenga Festival  is a month-long annual flower festival occurring in Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines.^[1] The term is of Malayo-Polynesian origin, meaning "season of blooming".^[1] 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.^[2] The festival includes floats that are decorated with flowers not unlike those used in Pasadena's Rose 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

9.Buglasan Festival, Negros Oriental

Buglasan Festival showering tourist spots of the 20 towns and 5 cities throughout the province of Negros Oriental - 1st ever experience unlike other festival. Buglasan Festival promote Negros Oriental as province of best kept tourism secret in the Philippines.

We have lots of festival dances to offer. It's a province wide celebration and a collection of festival of festivals. Come and visit Dumaguete City every 2nd week of October to celebrate with us.

10.Pintados Festival of Leyte

The Pintados Festival is a cultural-religious celebration in Tacloban based on the body-painting traditions of the ancient tattooed "pintados" warriors.^[1] In 1986, the Pintados Foundation, Inc. was formed by the people of Tacloban to organize this festival in honor of Sr. Santo Niño.^[2] Years later, it was merged with the Kasadyaan Festival which is always held on JUNE 29.^[3]