Last Weekend of April at Pasay City

When is it held? Last Weekend of April at Pasay City What is it? Aliwan Fiesta is an annual event that gathers different cultural festivals of the Philippines in Star City Complex in Pasay City wherein contingents compete in dance parade and float competitions.  Organized by Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) together with Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the cities of Manila and Pasay, the event is dubbed as "The Metro Manila of All Fiestas," with prizes totaling to P3 million.  Aliwan Fiesta, which began in 2003, aims to showcase the different Filipino cultures and heritage not only to the people in Metro Manila but also to the rest of the world When is it held? 15th Day of May at Lucban, Quezon What is it? Pahiyas means “décor”. Pahiyas Festival is the most colorful harvest festival. 15th marks that the time of the year when people in Lucban decorate their houses with different-colored produces in an almost competitive manner.  Hang all the fruits and all the vegetables mentioned in Bahay Kubo. (basket/free).  A colorful burst greets the visitors to this feast in honor of San Isidro Labrador. When is it held? 29th of June at Tacloban City What is it? The word ‘pintados’ is Spanish and refers to the body tattoos of the native warriors Which represent their unassailable courage and beauty of design. At that time, a man who faced the dangers of infection by tattooing and lived was considered strong and brave.  The Pintados Festival recalls the preHispanic history of the native Leyteños and showcases the cultural heritage of the local people of both Leyte and Samar islands by incorporating native music and dances.  Being a ‘pintado’ was also a status symbol. The highest ranked or bravest warriors were heavily tattooed from head to toe. When is it held? 3rd Weekend of August at Davao City What is it? Its name comes from the Mandaya word “madayaw“, a warm and friendly greeting used to describe something good, beautiful, valuable, superior, or profitable.  KADAYAWAN SA DABAW is an annual thanksgiving harvest festival in Davao.  This is the time when Davaoeños share a joyous celebration of life, culture, and bountiful harvest during the month of August.  Considered as the mother of festivals in the region. When is it held? 19th of October at Bacolod City What is it? A Masquerade Party to lift up the spirits of the Bacolod people after the Sugar Crisis in 1980’s. It’s name comes from English word “mass” meaning “multitude of people”, and Spanish word “kara” meaning “face”.  A blissful week of festivities takes place in the City of Smiles as Negrenses observe the annual Maskara Festival.  The colorful masks with smiling faces worn by street dancers in ostentatious costumes of their design are primary attractions of the celebration.  Aside from street dancing, the festival also features a food fest, sports events, trade fairs, beauty pageant, and concerts.  Ritual stems from Latin ritualis, “belonging to a ritus,” with ritus meaning certain temple services in ancient Rome, and the Catholic Church's worship in medieval Europe.  Ritual is a term used to describe an action or a series of actions that are fixed and symbolically loaded according to a given context within a particular community.  "... I take ritual to be the basic social act." - R. RAPPAPORT  "Ritual is pure activity, without meaning or goal." - F. STAAL  According to Perez (2016), there are ceremonial rites, religious rites, betrothal rites, marriage rites, passage rites, and others.  Rituals are often accompanied by dancing, simple or complex, private or public, and can last for few minutes or stretch for days.  Ceremonial Rites – a formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious or other solemn use.  Religious Rite - an established ceremony prescribed by a religion such as "the rite of baptism“, religious ceremony, religious ritual.  Betrothal ceremony, or a Rite of Betrothal, is the traditional way of becoming officially engaged in the eyes of the Church. It's a short but beautiful ceremony, in which the couple solemnly pledges to marry one another on a specified date.  This the Ifugao ritual for honoring the dead.  A mumbaki (ritual specialist) will recite from memory, invokes and offers sacrifices to deities and spirits for the one seeking blessing or atonement.  They would arrange the bones.  The word pukpok in the Philippines literally means to hit something usually with a hammer.  Circumcision in the country is a mandatory tradition inspired mainly by religion.  Circumcision among young boys is usually done in summer before classes start.  However, in some parts of the country, the traditional way of circumcision is still being practiced. Boys will chew in some guava leaves.  Kutkot is a fading tradition that is practised by members of Hanunuo Tribe. After burying the dead for a year, relatives clean the skeleton and cover it with cloth to take up the shape of a mannequin or even a mummy called “sinakot”.  It is then adorned by clothes and even jewelry. The body is returned to the family and is housed there for another year. After that period, the body is sent to a cave where the rest of the sinakot are taken.  As a Catholic nation, the Philippines does not take penitence lightly. Once, when we were travelling home from Caramoan to Leyte during our Holy Week adventure, we came across a group of men parading the streets and striking their already bleeding backs with whips.  In Pampanga, a bloody crucifixion reenactment is held every Good Friday. While this cringe-worthy ritual is not supported by the Catholic Church, many devotees still do this to imitate Jesus Christ’s sufferings and show gratitude to God.  The most beautiful girls of a community would be kept isolated by their families until they can be married off.  During their period of seclusion, the girls are treated like royalty and are forbidden from working and being exposed to the sunlight.  Such a sheltered lifestyle would result in the girls becoming fair-skinned frail beauties who commanded prestige and a high price for their dowries when they became of age.