Luzon Festivals – The best Festivals in Luzon!

TOP TEN FESTIVALS IN LUZON

Luzon is known to be the largest, most populous and the most important island in the Philippines. Being the major island in the country, it plays an important role in the nation’s history. These histories gave rise to the majority of the Filipino festivals.

The following are the well-known festivals in Luzon in no particular order:

Pahiyas Festival aka Pahiyas de Lucban (May 15)
Lucban, Quezon
Celebrated every 15th of May, this festival is an event of the Lucban community in honor of San Isidro Labrador for good harvest. Kiping is a native delicacy of brightly colored rice dough in thin like wafers in Lucban and during the festival, front houses of the locality are decorated with it. After the festival, the kipings are processed to become chips. In the afternoon, a procession is held as the image of the patron saint is carried all over the town to bless the farmers of good harvest. Started in the 16th century, Pahiyas is simultaneously celebrated in Tayabas and Sariaya, both towns of Quezon Province.

Panagbenga Festival (February)
Baguio city
This is Baguio’s grandest Flower Festival that honors the abundance of the beautiful flowers in Baguio city. Panagbenga festival enhances the essence of Baguio’s Igorot ethnic culture as presented for Baguio’s best features. The participants in the street dancing performance are dressed up in the form of flowers incorporating various blooms among its 11 ethnic tribes. This is inspired by the Cordilleran-based celebration of Ibaloi dance called the Bendian.

Bangus Festival (April 28)
Dagupan city, Pangasinan
This festival is a 19-day, yearly event that highlights the local bangus industry and, in a way, boosts Dagupan city’s reputation as the Philippines’ Bangus Capital. Bangus festival features the Bonuan bangus (milkfish) and is said to having its taste incomparable to the other variety of milk fish. Fun activities are Bangus Rodeo, competition for fastest bangus deboner, fastest bangus classifier, and fastest bangus eater, longest bangus, the heaviest bangus, the most beautiful bangus and so many more bangus-filled activities including the Gilon Gilon ed Baley Street Dancing Competition, the Dagupan Bangus Queen Search, Agew na Ilog (fluvial parade), and the Great Dagupan Day Sale.

Regada Festival (2nd week of June)
Cavite city
Regada Festival is a mirror of Cavite City’s culture and tradition. A week-long celebration held each year; this festival allows the people to experience not only the festive mood but the ecological implication of the event and the spiritual bonding which unity brought them together. The festivities start with an on-the-spot water color painting contest known as Kulay at Tubig participated by close to two hundred students from all over the schools of Cavite City and nearby towns, the Feast of Mussels, a Mardi Gras sa Salamanca, Mga Palaro sa Dagat, and culminates with the feast of Saint John the Baptist with activities such as Tugtugan Sa Paulan, and Basayawan Sa Kalye.

Bikol Pastores (18th of December)
Legazpi city, Albay
Bikol Pastores is Bikolano’s celebration of Christmas. It is a Christmas tradition where children sing their own interpretation of the shepherds who sang the first carol and rejoice of the birth of the Christ in Bethlehem. It’s pretty much a Christmas caroling where the costumed singers sing from one house to another while others dance to the tune of Pastores a Belen in the city streets. Highlight of the festival are the Panunuluyan (age-old tradition of reenactment of Mary and Joseph asking every people of Bethlehem for a good place to stay for the birth of the infant King on the eve of Christmas, to which they end up in a manger), Larong Pinoy, Night with the Stars, Open Ballroom Dancing Competition, Search for the Best Christmas Decorated Home, Balikbayan Night, Binibining Pastores Beauty Pageant, Bikol Pastores Dance Competition, Mardi Gras, the Senior Citizen’s Night and the Kamundagan Festival.

Obando Fertility Dance (May 17-19)
Obando, Bulacan
This event is a combination of both a Festival and a Prayer. A 3-day long event, this festival is popular with its long street dance performed in a procession participated by the couples who wish to be blessed with children. This event depicts the practice in the earlier times where the native childless couples perform their dance in front of idols in full hopes of soon having children. The three saints for the childless are Santa Clara, San Pascual de Baylon, and Nuestra Señora de Salambaoto. But the patron saint of the childless is Santa Clara to whom the fertility dance is offered. The fertility dance is also joined by single men and women but on separate dates.

Binabayani Festival (November 30)
Olongapo, Zambales
Binabayani festival is celebrated during last week of November where it re-enacts the battle between Christians and Aetas through a dance interpretation happening in the town of Masinloc and the activity is featured in the town plaza. The dance is complemented with Aetas costume; people’s bodies all rubbed with charcoal and are naked waist up with short pants and bird’s nest-made hats all in black color. Props include bamboo drums and bolos for their weapons while the Christian accessories include white pants and polo shirts with colored band up from the shoulder down to the waist. They, too, have props of bolos and bamboo drums.

Pagoda sa Wawa Festival or Bocaue River Festival (1st Sun of July)
Bocaue, Bulacan
The Bocaue River Festival is observed in honor of the Holy Cross of Wawa. Its main feature, the pagoda, a decorated huge float atop a barge, gliding along Bocaue River, carries a number of people on a ride feasting on sumptuous food whilst music is being played. Replica of the Holy Cross which was said to be been floating in the Bocaue River long time ago is boarded on a towering pagoda of elaborated trimmings on a fluvial river parade, escorted by smaller, colorful bancas.

Sinukwan Festival (November 29-Dec.6)
Pampanga
This festival showcases Pampanga’s cultural diversity and its week-long Foundation Day Festivities. Sinukwan Festival commemorates the Kapampangan spirit in honor of the god of Ancient Kapampangans known as Aring Sinukwan. Activities include native photo contest, cultural pageants, trade fairs of food and crafts, cultural shows, and street dancing competition.

Bacao Festival (15 Mar to 20 Mar)
Echague, Isabela
Bacao festival is celebrated to honor St. Joseph, known as the patron saint of workers in Echague. And Bacao or corn is the major crop in the town of Echague. Activities in the event include Rodeo competition/exhibition, street dancing, float contest, competition for the best dressed carabao and so many more.

Source: http://www.philippinesfiestas.com

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