• our country is the 3 rd largest Catholic Fertility Dance Rites of Obando, Bulacan
country in the world and we pride - couples who hope to be blessed by
ourselves as a religious bunch of
faithful Filipinos
Religious Festivals
Ati-Atihan of Kalibo, Aklan
- "mardi gras of the Philippines"
- Aklanons and tourists troop to the
streets of Kalibo to honor Santo Niño or
the baby image of Jesus Christ
- participants look like warriors of
centuries ago in a festive mood
- held every January
- very lively, colorful, and is a week-long
fiesta
- means "to be like the Aetas" or "make
- believe Ati's"
- mother of all festivals the Philippines
- origin of Pinoy festivities
Sinulog Festival of Cebu
- one of the most well-known festivals
celebrated in the Philippines
- first initiated by faithful devotees of
Senior Santo Niño after their conversion
from pagan beliefs to Christianity in
1521
- devotees express their adoration and
worship to the Child King in street
dancing while following. the procession
of Senior Santo Niño
- believed that Senior Santo Niño will
perform miraculous healing of sicknesses
and grant any petitions and prayers
Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo
- began after Rev. Fr. Ambrocia Galindez of
local Roman Catholic parish introduced
the devotion to Santo Niño in November
1967
- in 1968, a replica of the original image
of the Santo Niño de Cebu brought to
Iloilo by Fr. Sulpicio Enderez as a gift
to Parish of San Jose
- the Confradia patterned the celebration
the of Ati-Atihan of Aklan
- natives dance in the streets, their
bodies covered with soot and ashes to
stimulate the Ati’s dancing to celebrate
the sale of Panay
- their major events are:
▪ Ati-Atihan Street Dancing
▪ Kasadyahan Street Dancing
▪ Miss Dinagyang
Pahiyas of lucban, Quezon
- the feast of San Isidro Labrador was
first observed by the native Tagalogs who
used to settle at the foot of Mt. Banahaw
during the early Christianization of the
natives of Lucban, Quezon
- simple celebration as a form of
thanksgiving to the anitos for the good
harvest of farm products
- chaplet = tuklong
- tuba = natural wine
- buri or cabo negro = kaong
- natives believed that conducting this
yearly, they would be assured of another
bountiful harvest next year
- it was agreed upon that the farmers'
harvests be displayed right at the door
steps of their houses
- each Lucban resident decorated his or her
house with colorful kipings or lice
crispies aside from those local harvests
children perform street dances in a long
procession
- both a festival and a prayerful appeal
-
for devotees
Obando has hosted this festival since
pre-Spanish times
- mentioned by Jose Rizal in Noli Me
Tangere
- the month of May is the season for this
festival
- native childless couples would dance in
front of idols with the fervent hope to
have children
- in honor of:
▪ Santa Clara
▪ San Pascual de Baylon
▪ Nuestro Señor de Salambao
- prayers are offered to these three saints
for the childless, for religious virtue,
and a bountiful ratch
- dance ritual is most of the time offered
for Santa Clara (patron saint of the
childless)
- others dance to the saint in hopes of
finding a mate
- usually last three days long
Moriones Festival
- annual festival held on Holy Week on the
island of Marinduque
- "moriones" are men and women in costumes
- and masks replicating the garb of
biblical Roman soldiers as interpreted by
local folk
- morion means "mask" or visor, a part of
- the medieval Roman armor which covers the
face
- moriones refers to the masked and
costumed penitents who march around the
town for seven days searching for
Longinus
- a folk-religious festival that re-enacts
the story of Saint Longinus (a roman
centurion who was blind in one eye)
- characterized by colorful Roman costumes,
painted masks and helmets, and brightly-
colored tunics
- at three o'clock on Good Friday, Santo
Sepulcro is observed where old women
exchange verses based on the Bible as
they stand in the wake of the dead Christ
- Via Crusis
▪ one of the highlights of this
festival
▪ a re-enactment of the suffering of
Christ on his way to the Calvary
- starts on Holy Monday and ends on Easter
Sunday