Festival Dances

FESTIVAL DANCES
IN THE PHILIPPINES
by: MARIA SHAYNE A. LABRADOR
LUZON
PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL
History of the Panagbenga
• The Panagbenga started with just an idea that Baguio City
should, like other towns and cities in the Philippines, have it's
own "fiesta" or festival celebration. Having been created a city
by the Americans during their occupation of the Philippines,
Baguio did not start as a town during the Spanish colonial
period that had a patron saint with a feast day.
• Its charter day anniversary is on September 1, which falls right
in the middle of the country's rainy season, which does not
allow for parades and other outdoor activities that usually are
the highlight of such celebrations.
In 1995, when Atty. Damaso E. Bangaoet, Jr., proposed the idea
of organizing a flower festival to be held in February to the
directors of the John Hay Poro Point Development Corporation,
his suggestion received their immediate approval. I asked Atty.
Bangaoet years ago, "Why February?"He responded, "Because
the weather in February is perfect, plus it gives folks a reason to
visit us between Christmas and Holy Week."
Thereafter the idea was presented to the different sectors of Baguio society and their response, also
warm and immediate, eventually grew as a wellspring of community support.
• An identity was created that was to reflect the rich cultural heritage tof Baguio City and the
Cordillera region. The official logo was selected from among those submitted by the students of
all levels at the Camp John Hay Art Contest. Trisha Tabangin's winning entry of a spray of wild
sunflowers was selected.
• The festival hymn was composed by Saint Louis University (SLU) Professor Macario Fronda, which
was learned by all the school children. It is still that music that wafts in the air all thoughout the
festival during the parades.
• The core events remain the same: The Parade of Floats, Steet Dancing & Band Competitions,
Session Road in Bloom, Market Encounter, Pony Boys Day, etc.
• The original Barangay Community Garden competition participated in by the different local
government units, which was one of Atty Bangaoet's most brilliant ideas that was designed for
the city to have as many pocket gardens and mini parks as there were barangays, sadly no longer
figures in the Panagbenga.
• Many other events have been added with civic organizations holding privately run and funded
activities, too.
Costumes and Props/Equipments
This festival too has a very colorful set of costumes. From the
name itself, the costumes are designed to look like flowers.
These flowers are very colorful and people find various ways to
make these.
The Festival Dance
There are colorful costumes, flower parade, music, food, and dance. While each and every one of these things
makes the festival memorable for the guests but the Panagbenga Festival dance performed by the local makes
it special.
The Panagbenga Festival dance is not limited to the traditional festival dance steps or Panagbenga dance music
but beyond that. They dance on modern and different types of music too so that no one can get bored with the
performance of the groups.
In a festival, there is no hard and fast rule to dance. You can dance the way you like. But the Panagbenga
festival is different because the performance has been done on the street and main road.
PAHIYAS FESTIVAL
History of Pahiyas
• The Pahiyas Festival started as a gift-giving ritual by the natives of Lucban to the Franciscan missionaries who were responsible
for bringing Catholicism to Quezon in 1583. When Fr. Juan de Placencia took over as the town’s first church administrator, he
continued the practice of offering the years harvest to the Spanish friars as thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest. The ritual was
carried on by the next parish priest, Fr. Diego de Oropesa, until it became a tradition for the Lucbanins.
• In 1595, the town’s first parish priest, Fr. Miguel de Talavera who was instrumental in the construction of a wooden church in
Barrio Kulapi had the farmers bring all their harvests to the church for blessing. The farmers believed that this rite was
necessary because they were convinced that failure to observe it could mean drought, famine, and bad luck for the farmers in
Lucban
• As the farmers were showered with more blessings and the harvests increased, the wooden church became a place where the
annual pahiyas. was held. Later on to keep the tradition alive the townsfolk agreed to display their harvest in front of their
homes where the parish priest would come to bless the harvest. However, to keep the solemnity of the festival, a procession of
the image of San Isidro Labrador in whose honor the festival is held, was added to the celebration. The houses along the
procession route are the best dressed, decked with the choices fruits and vegetables.
• The route is changed every year to give all residents a chance to take part in the celebration. Lucbanins also believe the houses
along the procession route are twice blessed during the year.
During the Lucban San Isidro Pahiyas Festival, each household tries to outdo each other in terms of creativity. Farmers show off
their best produce of fruits and vegetables such as chayote and rice. There are miniature fruits and vegetables strung together
in the most original fashion. The most traditional and certainly the most attractive décor comes in the form of kiping which are
strung together in all shapes from arangya (chandelier) to huge flowers. When kiping catches the light of the sun it turns into a
veritable cascades of color.
Costumes and Props
The most popular and colorful
celebration of the feast of San Isidro is
Lucban’s Pahiyas Festival, a visual
spectacle where houses come alive
with decorations of colorful kiping (rice
wafers) arranged in layered chandeliers
called arangya. Some houses creatively
shape kipings into flowers, butterflies
and other unique patterns accented
with rice panicles, rice seedlings, fruits
and vegetables. Some even play out
farm scenes complete with rice stalks
shaped as farmers and carabaos,
depicting farm activities such as
plowing, harvesting, threshing and
hauling among others.
• The dancers Acts like they were passing good harvest Fruits and
vegetables to each other Smiling and happy. After That, the dancers
will dance With the use of their hands, making a t position and
reversed t positions, mostly repears in a fast tempo And also rapidly
moves their feet as if they are Jumpung and hpping frim joy

Festival Dances

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FESTIVAL DANCES

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