SINULOG FESTIVAL

In a Christian country as the Philippines, there is nothing more significant than

commemorating the event when Christianity was first introduced and was embraced
by the Cebuano people. Considered to be among the biggest and the grandest festivals
in the country, Sinulog festival is a very colorful and religious event traditionally held
every year, particularly on the third Sunday of January to pay homage to the Holy
Infant Jesus, most popularly called, the Sto. Nino for Christian people.

Although Sinulog Festival is always associated to Cebu city where the

festival’s history had originated, smaller adaptations of the festivity are also being
held and observed in many provinces in the country. The Sinulog sa Kabankalan in
Kabankalan city located in Negros Occidental is another big version of Cebu Sinulog
where people who are unable to be there in Cebu and are rather closer to Kabankalan
can still get a feel of what Sinulog festival is all about. Most of its visitants are people
from the neighboring city of Bacolod and even some, from Dumaguete despite the
latter’s proximity to Cebu.

Sinulog Festival is a 9-day event celebration with its highlight on the last day
where the popular long Sinulog parade commences. And just like other religious
festivals in the country, Sinulog has long since become one of the Philippines‘ grand
tourist attractions. Many tourists from different parts of the world come and witness
the Filipinos’ tremendous display of religious’ ceremonial elegance and pageantry.
This festivity symbolizes hope for most of the people who strongly believe in the
community of faith. Sinulog festival also unites the whole nation into one as people
from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao celebrate the festival with a unifying theme,
showing the whole world that religion is an integral aspect of the nation with a strong
influence both on the government and the people’s way of life.
 MORIONES FESTIVAL

The Moriones Festival is known widely as one of the most colorful festivals
celebrated on the island of Marinduque and the Philippines. Morion means "mask" or
"visor," a part of the medieval Roman armor which covers the face. Moriones, on the
other hand, refers to the masked and costumed penitents who march around the town
for seven days searching for Longinus. Morions roam the streets in town from Holy
Monday to Easter Sunday scaring the kids, or engaging in antics or surprises to draw
attention. This is a folk-religious festival that re-enacts the story of Longinus, a
Roman centurion who was blind in one eye. The festival is characterized by colorful
Roman costumes, painted masks and helmets, and brightly-colored tunics. The towns
of Boac, Gasan, Santa Cruz, Buenavista and Mogpog in the island of Marinduque
become one gigantic stage. The observances form part of the Lenten celebrations of
Marinduque. The various towns also hold the unique tradition of the pabasa or the
recitation of Christ's passion in verse. [2] Then at three o'clock on Good Friday
afternoon, the Santo Sepulcro is observed, whereby old women exchange verses
based on the Bible as they stand in wake of the dead Christ. One of the highlights of
this festival is the Via Crucis. A re-enactment of the suffering of Christ on his way to
the calvary. Men inflict suffering upon themselves by whipping their backs, carrying a
wooden cross and sometimes even crucifixion. They see this act as their form of
atonement for their sins. This weeklong celebration starts on Holy Monday and ends
on Easter Sunday.

ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL
 The Ati-Atihan, held every January in the town of Kalibo in the province of
Aklan on the island of Panay, is the wildest among Philippine fiestas. Celebrants paint
their faces with black soot and wear bright, outlandish costumes as they dance in
revelry during the last three days of this week-long festival.

The Ati-Atihan, a feast in honor of the Santo Niño, is celebrated on the second
Sunday after Epiphany. Catholics observe this special day with processions, parades,
dancing, and merrymaking. The Santo Niño has long been the favorite of Filipinos
and devotion to it has been intense ever since an image was first presented to Juana,
Queen of Cebu, in 1521.

Although the Ati-Atihan seems to show only revelry, a closer look shows that
it has historic origins.
 KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL

It is a celebration of Good Harvest! This globally famous festival is a

weeklong celebration and thanksgiving for nature’s bountiful harvest. Kadayawan
Festival is being celebrated every 3rd Week of August. A celebration of the plentiful
harvests of fruits and orchids during the season. 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, “Kadayawan” in
Mandaya means anything that brings fortune, a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for
the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living.
Ethnic tribes around Mt. Apo usually gathered during the harvest-time when they had
a bountiful harvest to give thanks to their gods particularly the all-powerful Bathala
(supreme God). According to legend, the occasion is noticeable by happiness, singing,
and dancing, as well as offerings to their divine protectors.

The festival is celebrated in the month of August with floats of fresh flowers and
fruits, and indak-indak sa kadalanan or street dancing in colorful costumes. A variety
of tribes parade the streets with their tribal costumes and jewelry. The city of Davao
comes alive every year in August when it holds it yearly harvest festival. The streets
are adorned with local fruit & vegetables while people hold street dances with
abandon for four days. The harbour is the venue for native & power boat races.
Everybody fights for seats to watch the Horse Fighting wherein stallions fight each
other over the rights to mate with a mare. The crowd is sometimes tracked by the
horses if they get too close. The last day the street is full of costumed dancers dancing
to the local beat & decorated floats with glamorous Mindanao girls as eye candy. It's a
time of fun & abandon. The festivity is not complete without the Bya'Neng ng
Kadayawan or the Miss Kadayawan beauty contest. There is also the horsefight, a
tribal animal show similar to the bullfight in Spain.
 DINAGYANG FESTIVAL

The 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.
 MASSKARA FESTIVAL

Bacolod City will never be called the City of Smiles without any reason at all.
Once again, this charming city in the province of Negros Occidental has celebrated
the country’s most colorful fiesta: The Masskara Festival. As we all know, Masskara
is a cardinal symbol that depicts the many faces of life and the challenges it brings. It
is a festival of thanksgiving for the bounty showered upon the Negrenses during the
season of harvest. Animated street dancing highlights the celebration flocked in by
thousands of spectators from all over the country.

The Masskara Festival is celebrated during every month of October. This event is
hosted by Bacolod City during the first two weeks of October. A horde of visitors,
both local and foreign, enjoys twenty days of beer drinking, dining, and street dancing
at the Masskara Festival. Talk about serious Filipino partying.

The term Masskara is coined from two words — mass, meaning a crowd and the
Spanish cara, the word for face. Masskara has a double meaning, first is “mask” and
the second one is “many faces”. Cultural artist, painter, and cartoonist Ely Santiago
coined the term in 1980. The festival was conceived to lend gaiety to Bacolod City’s
Charter Day, celebrated every 19th of October. In that year, tragedy came to Don
Juan, a vessel carrying members of even the affluent Negrense families, and the sugar
mills were in a slump.

The symbol of the Masskara Festival is a smiling mask, which was envisioned to
show that the people Negros Province manifests a happy spirit in spite of the entire
crisis they have gone through.

The town plaza gets flooded by people from all over the Visayas wanting to join in on
the Bacoleños’ distinctive festivities. Singing and dancing are staples, and so are the
pole-climbing and pig-catching competitions. Just a few of the must-experience
competitions are mask-making, coconut milk-drinking, and disco dancing.
 PINTADOS-KASADYAAN FESTIVAL

The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival is a merry-making event lasting a whole

month, highlights of which include the Leyte Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals, the
17th Pintados Festival Ritual Dance Presentation and the "Pagrayhak'' Grand Parade.
These festivals are said to have began from the feast day of Señor Santo Niño, held
every June 29th. The Leyteños celebrate a religious festival in a unique and colorful
way. Since the Visayans are experienced in the art of body tattooing, men and women
are fond of tattooing themselves.

The Pintados Festival displays the rich cultural heritage, incorporating native
music and dances, of the people of Leyte and Samar. The Leyte Kasadya-an Festival
of Festivals, meanwhile, showcases the unique culture and colorful history of the
Province of Leyte. Started by former Leyte Governor Remedios Loreto-Petilla, the
celebration was first held on May 12, 1996. The festivities weren't always held every
June 29th; the first three years saw different dates. It was only in 1999 that it was
fixed to June 29, the Feast of the Señor Santo Niño de Leyte.

"Kasadyaan'' in the Visayan tongue means merriment and jollity. Various

municipal festivals of Leyte gather together in the original capital of Tacloban City for
the celebration. There, lively dance-drama parade of many colors takes place. There is
an important role that the festival plays, and it is strengthening the Leyteños' sense of
pride. Every municipality mounts a storyline all their own to portray with pride their
local folklore and legends.
 PAHIYAS FESTIVAL

One of the most extravagant festival celebrated in the country is the Pahiyas
Festival. Province of Quezon hosts this festival on the 15th of May. The celebration of
the Pahiyas Festival has been going on since the 16th century. It is a way for the local
folk to give thanks to a bountiful harvest.During the Pahiyas Festival the small towns
of the Province of Quezon in the Philippines evolves from sleepy small villages into
exquisitely adorned houses. The Pahiyas Festival is commemorated in honor of their
patron saint San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers.

Legend says that San Isidro Labrador magically plowed fields whenever he
went to church. Spain passed on this legend to the Philippines from Mexico during the
country’s colonization. Since then, the Pahiyas Festival has been a source of
excitement for the locals and visitors to the Quezon Province.One of the highlights of
the Pahiyas Festival in the Philippines is the colorful decoration on the houses. These
are made of food. During the Pahiyas Festival, the houses of the local townspeople
will be adorned in fruit, vegetables and the famous kipings. The kiping is a wafer
that’s shaped into a leaf. It is made of dried rice and dyed in brilliant colors.

The locals use different leaves to add flavor and color to the kiping. The locals
to produce a variety of tastes and textures using Kabal, coffe, talisay (umbrella tree),
cocoa, and banaba leaves. The locals boast that the procedure of making the kiping is
a big secret among the people of Quezon and only a chosen few are entrusted with the
secret recipe.During the Pahiyas Festival, people display their harvest in front of their
homes for the parish priest to bless as the procession passes their homes.The Pahiyas
Festival is a time of joyous merriment for the people of Quezon. You’ll never walk
away from the Pahiyas Festival with an empty stomach. It is a mouthful of a welcome
to how the people of the Philippines welcome their guests. Just watch the calories
while you’re at it
 IBALONG FESTIVAL

Relive the epic story of the ancient heroes is the theme of the Ibalong Festival,
a feast that is celebrated every second week of October, and last for days, in Legaspi,
Albay. People involved in this clamorous merriment parade in the streets wearing
masks and costumes to immitate the appearances of the heores and the villains,
portraying the classic battle that made its way to the history of Bicol.
In this event, the spectators also play a good part of the celebration. People who dress
in outstanding costumes win prizes, while everyone else is invited to dance behind the
floats in the bandís music. Not only costumes of the famous heroes are seen. Some are
costumed depending on the chosen theme of the year for each tribe or group, like
wearing costumes of ancient warriors complete with weapons such as spearheads,
while other wear large body costumes of paper mache.
In this 3-kilometer parade from Legaspi, stalls populate the entire route selling almost
everything under the sun. Acitivities such as trade fairs, art exhibits, tours, and beauty
pageants, and sports competitions are also held.
 OBANDO FERTILITY RITES FESTIVAL

The Obando Fertility Rites is a three-day celebration honoring th three patron

saints of Obando, Bulacan. May 17 for San Pascual de Baylon, May 18 for Santa
Clara, and May 19 for Nuestra Senora de Salambao. Also known as the Kasilonawan
Festival, the religious event is a dance ritual of ancient Filipinos known as the
Kasilonawan that is held under the leadership of high priestess or the katalonan. It is a
ritual of merrymaking such as drinking, singing, and dancing, which is performed at
the home of of the chief of the tribe or barangay.
Usually starts in the morning of 17th in the month of May, the Parish Priests starts the
feast with a mass, following the procession of the three patron saints that is populated
with the devotees dancing with a musical band.The fertility ritual is held for women
who were unable to bear a child or children. It was considered very important since it
also means abundance because an infant is believed to be a precious gift from God.

The Kasilonawan ritual was held in honor of Linga, god of nature. Stomping
their feet and swaying the hips, the modern day fertility ritual is flocked by devotees
every year as they singing the hymn for Santa Clara in unison on their way to the
Obando Church within the three-day celebration. Dancing to the tune of bamboo
musical instruments, men, women, and chilldren alike garb themselves with
traditional dance costumes and participate in the streets leading the procession of the
three patron saints. Enthused by will, the tireless couple sthrengtens the belief that
they can still be blessed with an offspring if they earnestly entreat to the patron saint
Santa Clara to help them, while other people seek the help of the other patron saints
for a mate or good fortune, pushing their carts with the images whom they are
appealing.
 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.
 TURUMBA FESTIVAL

Every year during the months of April and may, the people of Pakil, in the
province of Laguna celebrates the Turumba Festival. It commemorates the seven
sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is held 7 times each year between the months
of April and May. The first is held on the Friday before Palm Sunday and the last falls
on Pentecost Sunday.

Held in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Turumba dates back to 1640 when a fisherman
floating in the Laguna Lake found the statuette of Our Lady of Sorrows. Legend tells
that he brought it to Pakil and left it in his boat while he sold his catch in town.
Meanwhile, a housewife saw the image where it was. She notified the parish priest,
and soon afterwards a crowd started to gather around the banca. A farmer carried the
statuette to the church and on his way the people following him started to sing and
dance. This was the first Turumba procession. The word “Turumba” has no real
Filipino or Spanish meaning. But according to the legend, “Turumba” was the sound
of the drumbeats during the procession.

Today, Pakil is known for the Turumba Festival. The image of the Virgin is borne on
the shoulders of the devotees and brought to the seashore and back to the church is a
festive grand procession. The Turumba is the longest celebrated festival in the country
covering seven months. The first celebration is held a week before Holy Week and
then every ninth of the month hence for seven months.

The Turumba festivities, popularly known as "Pistang Lupi", become one of the main
tourist attraction in our town. The "Pistang Lupi" fiestas for the Blessed Mother of
Turumba consists of seven novenas corresponding to the seven sorrows of the Blessed
Mother. A Turumba procession follows right after each novena. This religious
celebration is known as the largest ang longest of its kind in the country. During
"Pistang Lupi" season, tens of thousand devotees from nearby town and provinces
(particularly from the province of Quezon) join altogether to participate in the
festivity.

SANTACRUZAN
 The Santacruzan is a popular religious festival held in many towns and cities
throughout the Philippines as the highlight of the month-long celebration of Flores de
Mayo during the month of May. It is usually celebrated with a parade of decorated
floats and elaborately dressed characters, representing various aspects of the Virgin
Mary and other figures. The festival was introduced to the country during the Spanish
period and continues to be celebrated by Filipinos all over the world.

Young women are chosen from among the townspeople to represent the various
characters in the parade. Each is carried on a bamboo arch and escorted by a young
man. The highlight of the parade is Reyna Elena, representing St. Helena whose
discovery of the cross is commemorated by this feast. She is escorted by Prinsipe
Constantino, under a canopy of flowers. The floats are accompanied by a brass band.
Occasionally, movie and TV stars and other celebrities join in and are featured as
major sagalas and escorts.

Devotees follow the parade, holding lit candles, reciting the rosary and singing songs
of praise. After the evening mass, the town mayor hosts a dinner party.

CARABAO FESTIVAL
 The Carabao Festival is celebrated on the feast day of San Isidro Labrador
(St. Isidore the Worker), the farmer's patron saint from May 15 to 16 as tribute to the
water buffalos or carabaos in the farming town of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, Pulilan,
Bulacan, and Angono, Rizal. The carabao or (kalabaw) is the national animal of the
Philippines.

The townspeople celebrate this occasion in glorious thanksgiving for a year-

long bountiful harvest. It is manifested by a two-day revelry where one can witness
street dancing and a procession of more than twenty beautifully decorated carabaos. A
variety of multi-colored fruits, vegetables, flowers, candies and other food crops are
hung on bamboo poles and carts. These carts, pulled by the carabaos serves as floats.

On the first day, farmers pay tribute to carabaos. These animals are very
important for farmers because they help till the land. Farmers brush their carabaos'
skin until it is sleek and shiny, the horns are rubbed with oil and given shine. Then the
carabaos are decorated with ribbons or sometimes painted and attached to carts. In the
afternoon, farmers lead their carabaos to the church square to be part of the
procession. At the church, the carabaos not only kneel for their blessings but also walk
on their knees like penitents in front of the church. A priest blesses each one of the
carabaos as they pass by the church and pay homage to their patron saint, ensuring
their good health and vitality for the coming year. On the second day, the carabaos
compete in a friendly race, each pulling a bamboo carriage on a 400-meter course.
These carabaos were trained daily for several weeks before the festival begins.

ANTIPOLO PILGRIMAGE
 Antipolo Pilgrimage is a month-long celebration that brings devotees and
pilgrims to venerate the "Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage" which is enshrined in
Antipolo Church in Antipolo City. This is annually celebrated every month of May.

It is during the month of May when Filipino devotees to the Blessed Virgin
from different parts of the country throng on the hills of Antipolo to make a
pilgrimage at the shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buenviaje (Our Lady of Peace
and Good Voyage). The folk song “Tayo na sa Antipolo” vividly captures the festive
air of this season in this rural town some decades ago. 'Tayo na sa Antipolo' 'at doo'y
maligo tayo' 'sa batis na kung tawagin' 'ay Hi-hi-hinulugang Taktak' 'at doo'y kumain'
'ng mangga' 'kasuy at balimbing' 'kaya't magmadali ka at' 'tayo ay sumama sa
Antipolo.'

The pilgrimage city of Antipolo is also known as “the city in the sky” for its
high altitude (711 above sea level). It lies east of Manila, bounded on the northwest by
Marikina and San Mateo on the east by the Quezon province, and on the southwest by
Taytay and Cainta.
 PARADA NG LECHON FESTIVAL

In the Philippines, it is not unusual for lechon or whole roast pig to grace any
Filipino fiesta table. Parada ng Lechon is a parade of golden-red and crispy roasted
pigs. The delicious aroma of this sumptuous dish led the locals of Balayan and
Batangas to commemorate the feast of St. John, their patron saint on 24 June with the
presence of the delectable, crispy lechon.

It is on the night before the festival that an anniversary ball is held at the town
plaza to choose and crown the lechon queen. On the event day itself, a mass is held at
the Immaculate Conception Church. After the mass, at least, 50 lechons are gathered
in anticipation of the celebration. The parade proceeds after the holding of blessing of
the pigs and people in St. Johns' name. At this celebration, one can witness a hilarious
sight when the roast pigs are dressed according to the theme of the participating social
organizations. Some of the lechon are dressed in wigs, sunglasses, raincoats, or
whatever the decorators want

In an event of sheer madness such as this, one can expect mischief just around
the corner. During the celebration, pranksters toss water or beer over the lechons,
drenching not only the lechons, but the bearers and onlookers as well. Some will even
attempt to have a free sample of the roast pig's prized crispy skin. To prevent this from
happening, some participants cover their lechons with barbed wire.

After the fiesta, the lechons are then brought back to their respective club
headquarters or home for yet another celebration of drinking and feasting. As for
those who believe in the spirit of sharing, they will gracefully give away their prized
lechons to the crowd of audience.
 LEMLUNAY FESTIVAL

Lemlunay or also known as T’Boli Tribal Festival is an annual celebration

staged at Lake Sebu, South Cotabato in Philippines. It is celebrated every third week
of September that features tribal rituals that start at early down amidst sounds of
gongs and native music, culminating at the town plaza where cultural dances and ethic
sports like horsefight are held.

However, Lemlunay Festival is renowned by the 6 major tribes of South

Cotabato (T´boli, Ubo, Manobo, Kalagan, Maguindanao, Tasaday) together with
representatives from the different tribes in Davao (Tirurays, Mandaya, Surigao tribes,
Langilan, Bilaan, Bagog, Mansaka). It was originally just a small town fiesta
celebrating the feast day of Sta Cruz.

This festival was from the belief of the T’Boli in a golden age that they called
Lemlunay which means “the good place one goes to in the afterlife”. The word
“Lemlunay” is a sort of Camelot or paradise that they would like to make for their
tribe. It is when the people there reenergize and renew their vow to work for this
coveted state of life.
 GIANT LANTERN FESTIVAL

During December in San Fernando, Pampanga, the city celebrates the Giant
Lantern Festival, Saturday before the Christmas Eve. The festival features
competition of creatively built giant lanterns. Through this, the city has earned the
nickname. The Christmas Capital of the Philippines.

These giant lanterns measure an average of 40 feet in diameter and can contain
thousands of light bulbs each. They sparkle, pulsate, intricate patterns, in a loop of
random movements that glows against the eveningís blue sky. The blinking lights
form kaleidoscopic patterns cast by hundreds of thousands of multicolored bulbs all in
all, complete with safety box and 75 KVA generator apiece, powerful enough to light
up an entire barrio. There are even entries to the giant lantern competition with state
of the art technology.

Giant lanterns are usually made of crepe paper, Japanese paper, softdrink straws,
wood, metal, plastic, capiz shell and many other materials. Costly as it is, it is a
symbol of Pampanga folk art. Because of the sizes of these ìparolsî, they have to be
carried by parade of 6X6 trucks, and weighs around 1000 kg or more. Creating a
single giant lantern requires at least 50 people, working almost the whole year to
finish it. The highlight of the festival is the parade of the competing lanterns in the
streets on the 16th, with music and dancing.
 BICOL PASTORES

Even before Christmas is celebrated by Filipinos today, Bikol Pastores was

already a Bikolano’s commemoration of Christmas. A musical reenactment of the
nativity, the Pastores, a folk festival held in Legazpi City, in South Luzon’s Albay
Province on the 18th of December, is a celebration of Christmas tradition where
children clad in colorful costumes sing their own compositions that interpret the
shepperds who sang the first carols and rejoice for the birth of the Christ in Betlehem.
The group of costumed singers visit from one house to another or establishments
rendering songs. Done with an entourage of traditional musicians, people dance to the
tune of Pastores a Belen in the city streets, and Christmas cheers are all over the town.
Highlights of the festival are the Panunuluyan (age-old tradition of reenactment of
Mary and Joseph asking every people of Betlehem for a good place to stay for the
birth of the infant King on the eve of Chritmas, to which they end up in a manger),
Larong Pinoy, Night with the Stars, Open Ballroom Dancing Competition, Search for
the Best Christmas Decorated Home, Balikbayan Night, Binibining Pastores Beauty
Pageant, Bikol Pastores Dance Competition, Mardi Gras, and the Senior Citizen’s
Night. Also celebrated during the feast is the Kamundagan Festival in this month-long
merrymaking celebration.
 BINIRAYAN FESTIVAL

The Binirayan Festival, celebrated in the province of Antique every end of

April, is a month-long colorful commemoration of the landing of the ten Bornean
datus in Malandog, Hamtic, Antique in the mid-thirteenth century. Unlike other
Visayan festivals that honor and venerate Señor Sto. Niño, the Binirayan remembers
the Malay roots of the Antiqueños.

Binirayan, which means “where they landed”, reenacts the Maragtas Legend
that brought the ten datus to Sirwagan Creek in San Joaquin to escape the tyrannical
rule of Datu Makatunaw in Borneo. According to the legend, the datus bought the
island of Panay from Marikudo, the chief of the Aetas, with a golden salakot.
Together with their wives, they populated the entire Visayan region and established a
confederation of barangays which they called Madya-as, under the rule of Datu
Sumakwel.

In the 1970s, the localities of Antique decided to stage an event when they
could get together as people of the island – tracing their noble roots and looking back
to the achievements of their ancestors. Thus, the first Binirayan Festival was held on
30 April to 1 May 1974, as advocated by Evelio B. Javier, then governor of the
province. Javier died in 1986, but the annual celebration of this event has continued.

The Binirayan Festival is celebrated in a colorful manner in Antique. It

composed of a series of theatrical street plays in local language and the actors and
actresses in full Malayan costume. The presentation commenced at the exact location
where the ten datus originally anchored. The event has several features as well, which
includes the Biray (flotilla of vibrant sailboats similar to those that was “used” by the
Bornean datus), an exuberant parade, the Bugal kan Antique Awards, Lin-ay kang
Antique and Pasundayag among many others. This festival also showcases the local
finery and the ingenious crafts of its people, thus, makes way in promoting the
region's tourism.
PROJECT IN HEKASI

PHILIPPINE
FESTIVALS

Submitted by:
John Christian Claros

Submitted to:
Mr. Jonard Murcia