There are festivals and celebrations going on every month in the Philippines. Here are few to get you going:
The Ati-Atihan festival starts on January 16th and ends on January 22nd. It takes place at Kalibo, Aklan. It is a celebration in honor of the Sto. Niño. The revelers wear colorful costumes and paint their bodies black. Then they dance around the town to the distinctive beat of “Hala bira!”
The Feast of Our Lady of Candles takes place on February 2nd in Jara, Iloilo City. This is the biggest and most opulent religious pageanty in the Western Visayas. It is the blessing of candles and the yearly procession of the patroness. The Nuestra Senora de Candelaria is followed by the fiesta queen and her court. This highlights the celebration.
In the March the Parraw Regatta takes place. This occurs on the first Sunday of March in the Iloila City. This is an exciting race among the native outriggers in the strait between Guimaras Island and Iloilo City.
In April they have the Moriones Festival. This takes place during Holy Week in Boac, Magpoc, and Marinduque. It is one of the most famous festivals in the Philippines. Locals reenact the life of Longinus culminating in his beheading. To perform this they are colorfully garbed and masked as Roman soldiers and centurions. The entire towns are virtually converted into huge stages as the story unfolds.
Tapusan sa Kawit is celebrated on May 1st in Kawit and Cavite. It is a procession of decorated floats decked in flowers of Maytime that honors the Blessed Virgin. The participation of the town’s most beautiful young ladies is symbolizing of the purity and innocence of the Blessed Mother.
On June 24th in Balayan and Batangas the Parada ng Lechon takes place. It is the parade of the Feast of St. John the Baptist. It includes dressed and decorated lechons (a roasted pig) around town. Revelers eat the lechons after the parade.
On the first Sunday of July in Bocaue and Bulacan the Bocaue River Festival is taking place. This is a famous river festival held in honor of the miraculous Cross of Bocaue. During the procession, devotees ride in a pagoda and douse each other with water.
The Kadayawan sa Dabaw takes place the third week of August in the Davao City. This is a celebration of the bountiful harvests of fruits and orchids during the season. Some activities include fruit and flower shows, trade fairs, a tribal/civic/military parade, traditional sports activities, and horesefights.
The Feast of Nuestra Senorra Penafrancia takes place on the third Saturday of September in the Naga City and Camarines Sur. It is a religious festival held in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. It is a week long celebration that includes a civic-military parade, sportsfests, exhibits, cultural shows, beauty pageants, and colorful competitions.
On October 19th the Maskara Festival takes place in Bacolod City and the Negros Occidental. It is the biggest annual event that reflects the Bacoleños love for fun and happiness. It includes sports competitions, cultural programs, carnivals, beauty contests, and a long parade of costumed and masked street dancers.
The Grand Cordillera Festival takes place in November in Baguio City. It is held annually in this region. It features the gathering of tribes in a week-long event celebrating life. It is marked by tribal dancing and performances of thanksgiving rituals.
The Binirayan Festival takes place between December 28th and December 30th in San Jose and Antique. It is a festive commemoration of an episode in the history of the Filipino race through colorful pageants. These pageants are acted on the beaches of Maybato in San Jose and Malandog in Hamtik. It is also an occasion of reunion with families, relatives and friends of homecoming Antiqueno expatriates.
