Summer Festivals in the Philippines

Spread the love

5 Summer Festivals You Must Know About

5 Summer Festivals You Must Know About

There are a lot of festivals that happens in the Philippines during summer, and it reflects their culture and character. Summers are not just about beaches. The Philippines also offers loads of festivals for you to experience, participate in and enjoy. It’s just how we are. Nevertheless, with a culture like this, in a country so vibrant like the Philippines, we wouldn’t be surprised if there’s at least one fiesta or festival somewhere in the country on any given day of the year.

The origin of most fiestas in the early days is rooted in Christianity. It dates back to the Spanish colonial period when many of the predominantly Catholic communities in the country almost always had a patron saint assigned to each of them. Now, lasting anywhere between a day to an entire month, Philippine festivals are big cultural celebrations that attract both local and foreign tourists due to its colorful nature.

For example, if you lived in Pueblo de Oro Cebu, you would definitely have attended Sinulog. The truth is it doesn’t matter which month you travel, there will be a festival you’ll surely enjoy in different seasons. However, for the summer season, we have listed a couple of festivals you might be interested in when visiting the Philippines:

 

Moriones Festival

Date/s: March 25 – 31

March is at the cusp of summer, and if you want a really memorable Holy Week experience, there’s no better thing to do than to head over to Marinduque for the Moriones Festival. Festival goers wear Morion masks (wooden creations meant to look like the Roman soldiers) on the streets during the Holy Week. The “Moriones” are men and women in costumes replicating the garb of biblical Roman soldiers as interpreted by local folks. The Moriones or Moryonan tradition has inspired the creation of other festivals in the Philippines where cultural practices or folk history is turned into street festivals.

Bangus Festival

Date/s: April 3– 14

The Bangus (milkfish) Festival is a fun celebration highlighting the country’s national fish, held yearly in April in Dagupan City. Fun fact: Dagupan City won a Guinness Book of World Records recognition for organizing the longest barbecue in 2003. Don’t forget to bring a bangus costume if you plan on joining this festival.

Pahiyas Festival

Date: May 15

One of the most colorful festivals in the country, Pahiyas festival, takes it to another level with creative house decorations made with colorful fruits, vegetables, handicrafts and kiping, a decoration made from rice flour. It is held annually in Lucban, Quezon in honor of San Isidro Labrador. are also part of the procession that makes its way through the town. The Higantes of Lucban originated as part of a religious celebration called Corazon de Jesus, honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Part of the activities is the dancing and parade of 2 papier mache Higantes (male and female) in colorful costumes.

Pintados- Kasadyaan Festival

Date: June 29

Officially marks the end of the summer season, the Pintados and Kasadyaan Festival have joined together to become the “Festival of Festivals.” Just like the Ati-Atihan, Dingayang, and Sinulog festivals, the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival celebrates the Santo Niño through arts and colorful parades. They also initiate various festivals from Leyte, the Buyogan Festival of Abuyog, Tanauan’s Pasaka Festival and Lingganay Festival of Alang-alang.

Aliwan Festival (Last weekend of April)

Aliwan Fiesta is an annual event that celebrates different cultural festivals of the Philippines in Star City Complex in Pasay City wherein contingents compete in dance parade and float competitions. Although, it’s regarded more of a competition than it is a festival, it has undoubtedly added immense value to the growing interest in Filipino festivals. Although it just started in the early 2000s, it has already gained a strong participation nationwide with more than 5,000 young men and women from all over the country joining the competition.

 

Comments are closed.