Contem
porary
Art
Practic
What do you need to know?
One way of preserving & promoting the
arts in the various regions of the Philippines
is by practicing it as often as possible.
Contemporary art Practices are actual
practices of the arts in everyday life.
(Perez, 2016)
Perez (2016) said that contemporary art practices
are expressed in different ways, by an individual or
by a collaboration of several artists. Perhaps one
collaborative art that' Is very common to every
region is the festival. A. festival may be composed
of various events such as street dancing, singing
competitions, architectural decors like floats, and a
lot more.
We are all aware that the Philippines have various
kinds of festivals. It Is a known fact that we,
Filipinos, everywhere In the world love to celebrate
and get together.
Lasting anywhere between a day to an entire
month, Philippine , festivals are huge cultural
celebrations that attract both local and foreign
tourists due to its colorful and festive nature.
Because of Spain’ s Catholic influence dating
back to the mid-1500s, most of these festivals are
usually religious in nature while others are meant to
commemorate important events in history. Either
way, attending a Philippine festival Is definitely
something you have to experience in order to
witness how rich our country’s culture Is.
Here are
some of the
many
Festivals
Ati-Atihan Festival
3rd weekend of January / Kalibo, Aklan
This Sto. Niño festival started
it all. One of the oldest religious
celebrations in the country, Ati-
Atihan is characterized by a
parade filled with face-painted
celebrants indigenous costumes
and weapons, tribal dances, and
loud drumbeats.
Tourists who flock to
Kalibo for the festivities are
free to cover themselves in
black soot and dance on the
streets with the drum beats.
Known as the "The Filipino
Mardi Gras," it is truly an
experience not to be missed.
Sinulog Festival
3rd weekend of January / Cebu City
Cebu also has its own version of
the festival in honor of the Sto. Niño. If
you find yourself attending the Sinulog
Festival, "Pit Señor!" is a phrase you
will hear a lot. It means "Panangpit sa
Señor" a Cebuano phrase that means
to plead to the Señor Santo Niño.
It is one of the most attended in
the Philippines, attracting millions of
locals and tourists from all over the
world.
Sinulog not only sets the
stage for Cebuano talents but also
for other as contingents from
neighboring provinces are
showcased street dancing,
pageantry and sports. It is also
known for hosting the country's
biggest raves, drawing a growing
number of party-goers from the
country year after year.
Dinagyang Festival
4th weekend of January / Iloilo City
Once a year, lloilo City
transforms into one big street party
streets closed, bands in all
corners, overflowing food and
drinks, and towering boom boxes.
To cap it al off, tribes representing
different barangays and high
schools perform-in one very
competitive street dancing contest.
Pinagbenga Festival
February / Baguio City
The word "Panagbenga" comes
from Kankanaey term which means
"season of blooming." With the
numerous parades of floral floats
and children dressed as flora and
fauna, it definitely lives up to its
name, making Baguio the perfect
destination for those who still have
a hangover from the huge festivals
in January.
Adding to the usual
Baguio tourist sites to visit, the
whole length of the Session
Road during Panagbenga
becomes a feast for the eyes.
Called “Session Road in
Bloom,” Baguio's famous street
is closed to vehicular traffic to
make way for flower carts, street
dancing, and outdoor cafes.
Moriones Festival
Holy Week / Boac, Gasan, and Mogpog, Marinduque
This week-long celebration of the
life of St. Longinus is what makes
Marinduque one of the top
destinations during Holy Week in the
Philippines. Morion is the helmet won
by the centurions while Moriones
refers to the costumed penitents
reenacting the search for St.
Longinus, hunted by his fellow
centurions for converting to
Christianity.
During the festival you will
see Marinduqueños dressed up as
centurions (Moriones) looking for
Longinus, One person acts as
Longinus, hiding from them while
the townspeople play along and
allow him to hide in their houses.
Via Crucis or the reenactment of
the Passion of Christ also happens
during this Philippine festival.
Aliwan Festival
Last weekend of April / Pasay City, Manila
Aliwan Flesta is more of a
competition than It is a festival.
However, it has undeniably added
great value to the growing interest in
Philippine festivals. Although it just
started in the early 2000s, it has
already gained ng fan-base
nationwide with more than 5,000
young men and women from all over
the country joining the competition.
For a lot of people who are in
Manila, heading to the CCP Complex
is the cheapest way to see the
quality performances from tribes
representing festivals in their
respective provinces. Plus, it is
always great to see tribes from
Dinagyang and Sinulog give their A
performances to grab the million-
peso prize.
Pahiyas Festival
15th of May / Lucban, Quezon
One of the Philippines' most colorful
harvest festival, May 15th marks that time of
the year when people in Lucban decorate their
houses with different-colored produces in an
almost competitive manner. It is not
uncommon to see singakamas (turnip), tal-ong
(eggplant), sigarilyas (winged bean) and all the
other vegetables and fruits mentioned in the
Bahay Kubo song hanging on the exteriors of
their homes. You can actually bring a basket
and pick the produce from the walls for free.
Bulihan Festival
25th of April / Sampaloc, Quezon
Like any other town with beautiful and
nurtured traditions, Sampaloc has finally decided
to pool all its resources to create a festival that
would reflect its inherent culture, show to every
one the products of which Sampaloc is known
for, showcase the hidden talent of its people, to
create a niche in the tourism map. Like other
grand undertakings that started with small steps,
Sampaloc began its initial step by launching its
first Sinampalukan Festival which reflects the
“awit, sayaw at katuwaan ng mga Sampalukin”.
It is primarily conceptualized as a
way of giving thanks to the patron saint
San Vicente Ferrer. Activities for the
festival which may vary yearly, will be held
for nine days coinciding with the nine-day
novena for San Vicente Ferrer. It will be
participated in by the fourteen barangays
of the municipality, schools and non-
government organizations. Dance troupes
and bands from other locality were invited
to add color and glamour to the occasion.
Niyogyugan Festival
9th of August / Quezon Province
It's the time of the year where people
get together in Lucena, Quezon to celebrate
a week-long 'Niyogyugan Festival,' a feast of
thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest of
coconuts which symbolizes the "tree of life".
From the two words “niyog” (coconut) -
Quezon's main agricultural product
and “yugyog” (to shake or move), the festival
showcases the province’s culture and
natural bounty.
The weeklong festivity is composed
of several events such as Niyogyugan
Investment forum, Niyogyugan
Quezon Kusineros (cooking
competition), Karosa ng Niyog (Float
Competition), the Bb. Niyogyugan and
many more. They also have "Araw ng
Pamilyang Magsasaka" which will
recognize all the farmers in the
province, and "Araw ng mga Guro"
for the teachers.
Katang Festival
25th of May/ Calauag, Quezon
Every year we are celebrating the
founding anniversary of Calauag, were
our Kababayans from other places,
people from neighboring towns and
visitors do come and visit us, were the
Calaugeneans disply all our unique
special products like Katang for them to
see, we are show our interest to sell
them, and finnaly open our door to
tourism.
The local government unit of
Calauag initiates the celebration
of Katang Festival to be the part
of the celebration of founding
Anniversary of this Municipality
to recognize this marine product
for being one of the source of
income of our fisher folks and to
promote
Pintados Festival
29th of June / Tacloban City
Pintados is another
festival in honor of the Sto.
Niño (yes, this is the 4th of its
kind in the list). It just goes to
show how Filipinos want to be
reminded to be childlike in
their ways and to place hope in
their children.
This festival has been
growing in popularity because of
the contingents they send to the
Aliwan Fiesta every year. They do
not fail to amaze. Leyte is also the
home base of other festivals like
Alikaraw, Pasaka, and the 2009
Aliwan Fiesta champions,
Buyogan.
Kadayawan Festival
3rd week of August / Davao City
Kadayawan comes from the
Dabawenyo word "madayaw. a
friendy greeting which means
good or beautiful. Probably the
biggest festival in Mindanao,
Kadayawan has everything all
other festivals have: street
dancing, beauty pageants,
fireworks displays, floral floats.
It is a celebration of
Davao's as well as the rest of
Mindanao's abundance;
chowcasing flowers, fruits, and
other produces that abound the
country's second largest island.
Just two years ago, they even
introduced a week-long street
food fiesta in Freedom Park,
Roxas Avenue called Kaan sa
Da'n.
MassKara Festival
19th of October / Bacolod City
Colorful masks, street dancing,
electrical displays and best of all... the sweet
smiles of Bacoleñas! What more could you
ask for?
MassKara is a combination of the words
"mass" which means "crowd" and kara"
which means "face." You will see participants
wearing smiling masks signifying a multitude
of smiling faces solidfying Bacolod's title as
the “City of Smiles.”
Like Sinulog, it is also
swarmed by the younger party
crowd as it is conveniently
scheduled during the semester
break.
There are still a lot of
Philippine festivals not mentioned
in this list. The next time you
book a flight, you might want to
consider scheduling during that
destination’s festival dates.
The festivals mentioned above are just some of the many
festivals in the various regions. These festivals provide a
temporary escape for the Filipinos by providing them with
artistic wonders.
Meanwhile, According to Perez (2016), rituals, or rites, are
also examples of Philippine folk tradition and art, practiced in
almost every region. They are series of ceremonies or
prescribed actions performed for a specific purpose. There are
ceremonial rites, religious rites, bethrotal and marriage rituals,
the rite of passage, and others. Rituals, often accompanied by
dancing, can be simple or complex, private or public, and can
last for a few minutes or stretch for days.
They exist in the regions because of a certain
need, such as the need to obtain order and harmony in
the individual village, or community. Perez (2016) also
explains that there is a belief about the interrelationship
of man, nature, and the spirit world and that balance
must be maintained to achieve the state of order and
harmony. The one who performs the rite is called
baylan (priest) or the babaylan (priestess). In other
rituals, the shaman, a seer, or a healer, acts as an
intermediary between man and the spirit world, using
the art of magic.
Moreover, Perez (2016) also states that rituals
are found in ordinary, everyday life. Even personal
daily routines undergo a process of a ritual, like the
ritual of preparing for school, washing the hands,
combing the hair, etc. The family has social rituals for
greetings such as the beso for friends and
pagmamano, a respectful greeting of children to the
elders.
