Religious Celebrations and Festivities in the Philippines

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by pochsuzara

by pochsuzara

Dubbed as the "fiesta island of the Pacific", the Philippines is home to rich, colorful and lively festivals. From Luzon to Visayas down to the southern tip of Mindanao, Filipinos have various ways of celebrating life's abundance which are clear expressions of their religiosity and strong faith in their creator. Fiestas showcase Filipino ingenuity at its finest.

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January - Celebrated every 9th day of January, the feast coincides with the "Piyesta ng Quiapo" where barefooted devotees carry the life sized statue of the Black Nazarene as they circle the town while yelling "Viva Señor!". - A feast in honor of Señor Sto. Niño held in Cebu on the third Sunday of February - A feast in honor of the held annually in January and concluding on the third Sunday of the month in the town of Kalibo, Aklan in the Philippines. - Celebrated every 4th week of January in commemorating the Christianization of the natives and honoring the Holy Child Jesus.

February - Held in , Iloilo City every 2nd day of February. Devotees light candles in honor of the patron saint of . - Based on ancient rituals performed by the , this festival is celebrated during the Charter Anniversary every 19th of February in .

March - A Holy Week presentation in the town of Jordan, Guimaras. This is a re-enactment of the Passion of Christ wherein local devotees trek to the "Balaan Bukid" or Holy Mountain. - Held during Holy Week at, Quezon and is believed to be the origin of Marinduque's festival. - A folk-religious festival that re-enacts the story of Longinus and is celebrated during the Lenten season in the island province of Quezon.

April - An annual pilgrimage to the shrine of in every 2nd week of April. - Held every last week of April or first week of May in .

May - A month-long celebration in honor of the . People usually go to church to pray and offer flowers to the Virgin. - A month-long celebration every May which honors of . - A May festival in honor of , Daraga's patron saint. This also relives the legend of Mayon Volcano. - A cultural festival held every 2nd of May in , Camarines Sur. The celebration re-enacts the fertility and thanksgiving traditions of the town's early settlers. - A fluvial festival held every May 11 in , . - Held every 15th of May in , in honor of . Houses are usually decorated with kipping, fruits and rice stalks. Farmers offer their thanksgiving to the San Isidro Labrador for a bountiful harvest. - The rites are held every year during the month of May in , . Childless couples dance with the hope of having a child. This festival also commemorates the patron saints.

June - Held every 11th and 12th of June in in thanksgiving to . - A parade of crisply roasted pigs in commemoration of the feast of . The parade is held on June 24 in , Batangas. - Held in the island of every 24th of June in honor of . The festival is marked by fluvial processions, parades and water sports. - Held in every 29th of June in honor of . The highlight of the Pintados festival is the appearance of festival dancers, painted from head to toe--hence "pintados"-- with war-like designs to emulate the tattooed warriors of old.

July - A feast is held from July 4 to July 7 in honor of the found in river in Bulacan. A fluvial parade of the pagoda and other small decorated boats are the main attraction of this festival. - Celebrated every last week of July by the people of , in honor of St. Anne.

August - An annual town fiesta held in from August 14 to 16. - A religious festival held every 20th of August in , Northern Samar.

September - Popularly known as the festival held every 2nd Friday of September in City.

October- A three-day celebration in the town of in . - Held every 9th of September in city where a re-enactment is showcased. - Or the "Festival of Breaking the Fast" is an Islamic feast celebrated after the end of the holy month of . - A feast in honor of San Isidro Labrador held every 17th of October in , . - A procession held in honor of the Blessed Mother of La Naval held every 2nd Sunday of October in in . - Celebrated in , every second week of October. - Held on the 14th and 15th of October in , Misamis Occidental.Feast of La Naval and - Twin fiestas celebrated in , . La Naval is celebrated every 2nd Sunday of October while the Piyestang Apu is celebrated on the last Friday of the month.

November - Also known as the feast of celebrated in the town of , every November 23. - A dance festival held every 25th of November, extolling the many uses of the coconut in homage to.

December - A thanksgiving celebration of the natives of Palawan, held annually on December 8. - An annual procession of the images of the held every first Saturday of December in , - Celebrated every 8th of December in remembrance of the Immaculate conception of the . - An annual festival held in December (Saturday before Christmas Eve) in , Pampanga featuring a competition of giant lanterns. - A unique Christmas celebration in , reminiscing the birth of Jesus Christ through different cultural presentations and sports activities.

COMMENT:
Notice the Chinese in CHINA, economically the richest country in the world today. They neither have the time nor the energy to imitate such religious celebrations or festivities of the Philippines - the only catholic country in Asia since the 16th century keeping the Filipinos perpetually poor spiritually as a people; and, impoverished economically, sick sociologically, and insane historically as a nation. - - - Poch Suzara