Allan Merin

Fascinating Festivals in the Philippines

Filipinos celebrate various cultural and religious festivals with much enthusiasm and traditional zeal.

The Philippines, one of the premier travel destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, is at the forefront of countries banking on colorful festivals to promote its rich culture and heritage. Almost everyday there is an event celebrating a momentous occasion in the country such as a town fiesta or a feast of a local patron saint or a patroness. These fascinating festivals, according to experts, prove that Filipinos are fun-loving people.

Festivals, both cultural and religious in nature, are celebrated all year round across the three main island groups - Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Every region, province, city, municipality, and barangay has its own way of merrymaking. That’s why most Philippine travel guides declare that there are countless ways to enjoy and explore the beauty of this archipelago of 7,107 islands.

Festivals are considered a primary engine for driving the tourism industry aside from the country’s unspoiled beaches and other man-made and natural attractions. These colorful events are magnets to local and foreign travelers who are often awed by the way people celebrate festivals with high energy and much enthusiasm.

Here is a list of some of the grandest and exquisite festivals in the country.

Sinulog Festival
Sinulog Festival is the pride of Cebu City. Celebrated on the third Sunday of January, this colorful event is a way of the province’s thanksgiving to the child Jesus. The Sinulog Festival, which usually lasts for nine days, features a street parade wherein participants dressed in bright costumes dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs.

Panagbenga Festival
Every February Baguio City, the “Summer Capital of the Philippines,” stages a month-long flower festival called Panagbenga. One of the highly anticipated events during the festival is a parade of floats decorated with colorful flowers. It is patterned after the world-renowned Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

Moriones Festival
Moriones Festival is one of the most colorful religious events in the Philippines. Held during the Holy Week in Marinduque, the festival is highlighted by a parade participated in by people wearing colorful masks and garbs replicating that of the biblical Roman soldiers. A similar celebrated is held in Valencia, Spain, in April.

Pahiyas Festival
The spotlight shifts to Lucban, Quezon, every 15th day of May, when this second-class municipality hosts the Pahiyas Festival. On this day, a street of houses is adorned with various agricultural produce and colorful rice ornaments called kiping. Pahiyas Festival is held in honor of St. Isodore, the patron saint of farmers.

Kadayawan Festival
Kadayawan Festival in Davao City is a celebration of good harvest. Held every third week of August, local folks go out on the streets and celebrate a bountiful yield in various ways, such street dancing competitions, parades of decorated floats, and power boat races. Trade fairs, flower shows, exhibits, and horse fight competitions are lined up during the weeklong festival.

There are other notable festivals that tourists must not miss out. Usually the golden months of Philippine festivals are January, April, May, and December. That’s why it is advised to place your reservations to hotels and resorts for your preferred accommodations and vacation packages in advance.

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