Dagupan City is all prepped up for its upcoming fiesta this December 26-27.

“Let's light our Christmas trees for a bright tomorrow,

Where nations are at peace,
And all are one in God.”

Taken from the renowned Christmas song of Jose Mari Chan, “Christmas in our
Hearts,” the quoted words seem to put hope and peace together. “Hope and peace” is some-
how the resembling theme of this year’s Dagupan Fiesta.

December is not just an awaited month for the Dagupeños to celebrate Christmas,
since, it is also the month wherein they celebrate the city’s fiesta. This is the reason why color-
ful buntings are garnished together with the Christmas lights and lanterns all over the city.
One of the things the city is proud of is that the makers of its Christmas parols are the drug
surrenderees from Barangay Tebeng, Dagupan City. Through the “Unang Hakbang” project,
which was launched last October, the barangay officials of Tebeng decided to contribute some
of their personal funds to be able to raise enough funds to buy the materials for the lanterns.
According to Tebeng Captain, Helen Fermil, the said project’s purpose is to let the drug sur-
renderees earn, as well as to keep them productive while they are still under rehabilitation.

Aside from the Christmas parols throughout the city, one of the decors to be admired
as well is the gigantic Christmas tree in front of the municipal hall. On December 2 at six in
the evening, Dagupeños altogether gathered to witness the lighting ceremony of the Christ-
mas tree.

In preparation for the Dagupan Fiesta, different kinds of events are also held almost
every day for the people to enjoy. Not only Dagupeños, but also other people from neighbor-
ing towns, are welcome to join the celebration of the 2016 fiesta. One of the many events is
the North Star Vintage Motor Club Car Show which happened on December 3-4. People of
different ages and economic status were at awe as vintage cars were showcased at the Da-
gupan City plaza.

However, what people, especially the Dagupeños, really look forward to are the night
market, and the food strip along the streets of AB Fernandez, just beside the city plaza. The
night market, or also known as baratilyo in Pangasinan, is where people could buy different
things, such as factory-made clothes, shoes, and bags at a negotiable and cheaper price. Alt-
hough branded as a “night” market, the night market in Dagupan is also open during the day.
The food strip, on the other hand, has most stalls open only at night. Most of the foods availa-
ble at the food strip are Shawarma and sizzlers. The food strip is for the people who want an
affordable meal since for as low as 50 pesos, their cravings could already be satisfied.

Although the Dagupan Fiesta is celebrated in several ways, still, the fact that Dagupeñ-
os unite every year is just a proof that these people could join together and celebrate the an-
nual festivity in peace. Likewise, they altogether look forward to the upcoming year. Who
knows someday, this harmony might last.