Physical Education

& Health
(GRADE 12)

MODULE 2:

Philippine Festivals
FESTIVALS IN LUZON
1. Pahiyas Festival
Farm families decorate their houses with kiping or bright-colored rice wafers to thank San Isidro
Labrador for a bountiful harvest. The festival is celebrated every May 15 and while it is commonly
associated with Lucban, Quezon, it is also held in Sariaya and Tayabas.

2. Panagbenga Festival
The word panagbenga comes from a Kankanaey term which translates to "the season of bloom."
The popular festival is held every February to celebrate the abundance of flowers in Baguio City.
There are performances by tribes such as Igorots and Ibalois; their dances are inspired by their
culture and the celebrated blooms.

3. Bangus Festival
This festival pays tribute to Dagupan City's biggest industry and eures various activities that
highlight the milkfish or bangus, such as parades and competitions. It is held for 19 days in the
month of April, ending on the 28th.
4. Pagoda sa Wawa
The fluvial pagoda festival commemorates the legendary rescue of the Holy Cross from the Bocaue
River 200 years ago every first Sunday of July in Bocaue, Bulacan. The cross is paraded on a pagoda
with beautiful trimmings and guided by colorful bancas and hundreds of people join the procession
for a nine-day novena.

5. Feast of Black Nazarene

Every January 9, the feast honors the Black Nazarene or Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, the dark-
colored wooden sculpture of Jesus Christ that came all the way from Mexico. The intense devotion
to the miraculous Black Nazarene has attracted a huge following among the public. Its popularity
started in the northern and southern provinces of Luzon and later on spread throughout the country.
FESTIVALS IN VISAYAS
1. Sinulog Festival
This is held every third Sunday of January in Cebu City. The festival honors the former patron saint
of the Cebu province, Santo Niño. It is a dance ritual that remembers the Filipino people's pagan
roots and their acceptance of the Christian faith. Sinulog comes from the Cebuano adverb sulog
which means "like water current movement." The meaning of the term perfectly describes the
forward-backward movement of the Sinulog dance. The dance usually consists of two steps
forward and one step backward, performed to the beat of the drums.

2. Ati-Atihan Festival
It is celebrated every third week of January in honor of Santo Niño at Kalibo, Panay. Participants
paint their faces, wear indigenous costumes, and dance to drum rhythm beats similar to the
carnival drumming in Brazil.
3. Dinagyang Festival
Dinagyang is the Ilonggo word for merry- making. The festival is for the Holy Child Jesus and is
celebrated every fourth Sunday of January in Iloilo. It features a colorful parade as well as
participants offering prayers, dances, and chants of "Viva Señor Santo Niño!" Ilonggos paint their
bodies black to imitate the black, small slender Negritos who are the aborigines of Pinay. The
warriors are dressed in fashionable and colorful Aeta costumes and dance artistically and
rhythmically with complicated format along with the loud thrashing and sound of drums.

4. Masskara Festival
It is the Festival of Smiles from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. Unlike other festivals, it is not
religious or tribal in nature. Instead, the festival ironically has tragic roots. The term masskara
comes from two words: mass meaning "crowd" and the Spanish cara, which means "face." Ely
Santiago, a devoted painter, cartoonist, and cultural artist, coined the term masskara, which means
many faces. It became the festival's trademark, which can be seen through the smiling masks worn
by the participants.

5. Pintados Kasadyaan Festival

It displays the rich cultural heritage and the native music and dances of the people of Leyte and
Samar. A merry-making event that lasts for a whole month, the affair includes the Leyte Kasadyaan
Festival of Festivals, the 17th Pintados Festival Ritual Dance Presentation, and the "Pagrayhak"
Grand Parade. These are said to have begun 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 tattooing, men and women decorate their bodies with tattoos.

6. Kadayawan Festival
It is a yearly celebration in Davao City during the third week of August. It is a festivity of life, a
thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest, and serenity of
living. It also focuses on the multicolored mix of Davao and Mindanao's indigenous communities
as well as migrant settlers, whose identities make up the rich cultural heritage of the island. It was
believed that Davao's ethnic tribes living at the foot of Mount Apo would meet during a bountiful
harvest.

FESTIVALS IN MINDANAO
1. Tuna Festival
The yellow fin tuna fish abound in the waters that surround General Santos City, effectively making
the city one of the leading producers of tuna around the world. The festival is celebrated every 5th
day of September. A celebration of everything tuna, this is the place to go when you want to taste
tuna dishes. The tuna dish cooking contest is one of the most awaited activities in the festival where
visitors have the chance to eat and at the same time, enjoy the cultural street dances and drum and
lyre presentations prepared by the locals.

2. Bonok-bonok Maradjao-Karajaw Festival

The Bonok bonok is a ritual dance of ethnic Mamanwas, is performed during thanksgiving, wedding
ceremonies, and worship. The fiesta from Surigao City, Surigao del Norte is held every September
9. Bonok-honok literally means rain while maradjawkaradjaw means "very good" the festival's
name means "Rain showers, all the very best." The rain is a symbol of blessing, good tidings, good
harvest, and happiness among Surogainons. The festival is usually highlighted with high-spirited
dancing and chanting in unison of "Viva Señor San Nicolas! Viva Maradjaw Karajaw!"

3. Hermosa Festival
Every October, the scenic city of Zamboanga known as the "City of Flowers", celebrates its grand
annual Zamboanga Hermosa Festival, or the popularly known as Fiesta Pilar with 12 days and
nights of events and celebrations. The beautiful city of Zamboanga welcomes thousands to the
region's biggest, most extravagant celebration of the year. The two-day celebration is mainly in
honor of the miraculous image of Our Lady of the Pilar Nuestra Señoradel Pilar de Zaragosa. The
people of Zamboanga passionately believe that the lady has served as their unifying cultural and
historical symbol.

4. Lanzones Festival
This is held every third week of October and it is a four-day grand celebration that highlights
lanzones, the most important souce of livelihood in Camiguin. The Lanzones Festival in Mambadjao,
Camiguin is celebrated with a weekend street dancing competition and parties, cultural shows, a
parade, a beauty pageant (coronation of Mutya sa Buahanan), and a trade fair that features local
handicraft and products. Houses, street poles, and even people are ornamented with lanzones
during the festival.