PHILIPPINE FESTIVALS 4. MORIONES FESTIVAL (Marinduque)
NON-RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
Festival Dance
- is a type of dance that is performed to the strong
beats of percussion instruments and by a community of
people sharing the same culture.
Religious Festival is a festival by a particular group of religion. In
the Philippines, most religious festivals are to celebrate certain
saints of the Roman Catholic religion.
Non-Religious Festival is a festival with a specific group of
people in a certain community or region to showcase their own
tradition and culture, a thanksgiving feast for a bountiful harvest
or to showcase local indigenous peoples’ rites and rituals, to
commemorate a historical event.
A. RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
1. ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL (Kalibo, Aklan)
 3rd Sunday of January - honor Santo Niño (infant Jesus).
 Ati-atihan means “to be like aetas” or “make believe ati’s”
 Honors the indigenous Ati people (the first settlers of Panay
Island and other parts of the archipelago)
 “The Mother of All Philippine Festivals”
 “Hala Bira” phrase shouted during the festival
 Dance is focused on tribal dance, music and indigenous
costumes and weapons.
2. DINAGYANG FESTIVAL (Ilo-ilo City)
 4th Sunday of January - Santo Niño
 Celebrates the arrival on Panay of the Malay settlers
following the selling of the island to them by the Atis.
 “Queen of All Philippine Festivals”
3. SINULOG FESTIVAL (Cebu City)
 3rd Sunday of January - Santo Niño.
 Sinulog means “graceful dance”
 “Grandest Festival in the Philippines”
 Locals normally dance with their wooden statue of Sto. Niño
to honor the baptism and establishment of the Catholic faith
in Cebu.
B.
 during holy week.
 Moriones are men and women in costume like Roman
soldiers and in a “morion mask” interpreting the scene in
the bible as they torment Jesus.
5. FEAST OF OUR LADY OF PEÑAFLOR (Naga City)
 3rd Sunday of September - Virgin Mary
 It comes before the 9 days of prayer (novena)
 the devotees shout “Viva la Virgen” (Long live the Virgin!)
6. PAHIYAS (Lucban, Quezon)
 15th of May - San Isidro Labrador (patron saint of farmers)
 one of the country’s biggest & most colorful harvest
festivals
 Pahiyas came from the word “payas” which means
decoration or to decorate.
 The townspeople decorate their houses by kiping a leaf-
shaped, multi-colored rice paste wafer.
7. OBANDO FESTIVAL RITES (Obando, Bulacan)
 May 17 - San Pascual (St. Paschal) de Baylon
May 18 - Sta. Clara (St. Claire)
May 19 - Nuestra Senora de Salambao (Our Lady of
Salambao)
 It is also known as the Kasilonawan Festival - 3day fiesta
 The Rites, especially the fertility dance, supplicate the triad
of saints for a child, spouse, or simply good fortune. The
devotees joyously dance on the streets as a form of prayer,
asking for the spirit of life to enter the wombs of women.
8. SUBLIAN FESTIVAL (Batangas City)
 23rd of July - The Holy Cross & Sto. Niño
 translated to a dance from indigenous to Batangas:
The Subli.
 Traditionally performed to the accompaniment of
drums and chanting, the Subli praises the Patron in
a combination of poetry, movement, and music.
Today, the Sublian festival features not just
devotional dance-song but street dancing
indigenous Filipino games, Harana, the Lupakan,
Awitan at Sayawan: an event which combines the
sharing of Nilupak (local delicacy made of bananas
and sweet potato) with folk songs and dances.
1. LANZONES FESTIVAL (Camiguin Island)
⮚ 3rd week of October
⮚ A weeklong celebration for the bountiful harvest of the
tropical fruit lanzones
2. MASSKARA FESTIVAL (Bacolod City)
⮚ 4th Sunday of October
 The word masskara came from the 2 words “mass” which
means crowd or many, and “kara” which is a face.
 The Images of colorful and cheerful masks helped the
Negrenses establish their city as the “City of Smiles”.
3. IBALONG FESTIVAL (Legazpi City)
 August
 It is about the epic story, Ibalong, who was accompanied by
3 legendary heroes: Baltog, Handyong and Bantong
 also known as the Ibalon Festival.
 People parade in the streets wearing masks and
costumes to imitate the appearances of the heroes
and the villains, portraying the classic battles that
made their way into the history of Bicol.
4. KALILANGAN (General Santos City)
⮚ February
⮚ Kalilangan means “to celebrate”
⮚ they celebrate the tradition of sharing, hospitality, altruism
(selflessness) which is part of the cultural heritage of
Mindanao.
5. PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL (Baguio City)
⮚ February
⮚ The term “panagbenga” means “season of blooming”.

⮚ They also showcase float parades made from colorful
flowers.
6. KAAMULAN FESTIVAL (Malaybalay City, Bukidnon)
 last week of February to first week of March
 Kaamulan from the Binukid word amul “to gather”,
an indigenous Bukidnon term for a gathering for any
purpose: datu kinship ritual, a wedding ceremony, a
thanksgiving festival during harvest time, a peace pact, or
any number of these together.
 It is the only ethnic festival in Mindanao.
7. KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL (Davao)
 3rd week of August
 Its name was derived from the friendly greeting “Madayaw”,
from the Dabawenyo word “dayaw” meaning good,
valuable, superior, or beautiful.
 It is a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of
nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and
the serenity of living.
 Singing, dancing and offerings to their divine protectors are
the highlights of this ritual.
C. METRO MANILA FILM FESTIVAL
 25th of December - 1st week of January
 showcase the locally produced films
 The MMFF was established in 1975, and during the
festival, no foreign movies are shown, except in IMAX
and 3D theaters.
REPRESENTATIVE PHILLIPINE
THEATRICAL FORMS
Theater - a collaborative form of fine art that uses live
performers to present the experience of a real or imagined
event before a live audience in a specific place.
1. Shadow Puppetry
 An ancient art form that uses flat, expressed figures to
produce cut-out figures which are held together by sticks and
sometimes thread.
 To create movement, which is shown behind a thin layer of
cloth or screen and a light source to create the shadows.
*Shadow play is popular among various cultures and countries
and has a long history of tradition among Southeast Asian
countries, especially in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and
Cambodia, but the known origin was from a Chinese legend that
traces Shadow Theater or puppetry when a court magician
comforted a gloomy emperor by conjuring up his departed wife.
2. Dance Drama
 A drama that is performed through dance movements,
frequently with dialogue or sometimes even singing, popular
for the retelling of famous national literature.
 Actors act out scenes through a complex gesture language,
which imitates actions in real life and are required rhythmic
body movements as an expressive public performance.
3. Komedia
 Komedya comes from the 16th century Spanish comedia
(play).
 A play written in verse which uses traditional methods of
marcha (march) for entrance and exit, batalla (choreograph
fighting) magia (magical effects).
 One of the colorful theatrical traditions in the Philippines
used by the Spanish as a method to spread Christianity.
 It describes the conflicts of Christians and Muslims.
 The theatrical performance spread instantly but was
criticized because of its lack of national importance and
realism.
Two Types of Komedya:
1. Secular Komedya - usually performed in town
celebrations. An example of secular komedya
popularized in the 1600’s is the “Moro-moro,” that use
stories that revolve around kings, queens, princes,
princesses, animals, and supernatural beings. Most of
the time, it portrays the clash between Christians and
Filipino Muslims.
2. Religious Komedya - Mostly performed to enhance
religious festivities. It focuses on the life of religious
icons (Jesus Christ, St. Michael, and other patron
saints). Examples are Siete Palabras, Comedia de San
Miguel and Senakulo; the Lenten presentation of
Passion of Christ.
4. Senakulo
 One of the most famous events that are shown during Lenten
Season
 Usually depicts stories and events from the Old and New
Testaments related to the life, sufferings, and death of Jesus
Christ.
 It takes at least eight days to be performed, from Palm
Sunday to Easter Sunday, in different places: on the streets,
on stage, in a chapel or church.
 Traditionally, it is performed on a proscenium-type stage
with a painted cloth or paper backdrop, called Telon.
5. Sarswela
 An art form of lyric theater drama, comical in nature and it is
incorporated with singing, dancing, and dialogue.
 It is a play in prose.
 Originated from Spain and was made popular in the
Philippines in the 1800’s.
 It portrays the typical Filipino realities and stories and social
relations which viewers can relate in their lives such as
elections and feasts, marriage and family, vices and values.
 Walang Sugat is one of the famous Sarsuelas in the country.
6. Bodabil
 Stage show that became popular during the Japanese period
based on the French vaudeville.
 These were called stage show during Japanese occupation
and later variety shows.
 It was developed because city growers wanted to uplift their
emotional stability from the usual stage acts to a stage
presentation featuring comedy, musical, monologue, skits,
impersonators, acrobats, and even magical acts.
 Formed musical trends and musicians; performers; and
performance genres. The entertainers helped to make jazz
and blues popular and admired in our country.
 Some bodabil stars are:
Bayani Casimiro
Togo and Pugo
Chichay
Dolphy
Leopoldo Salcedo
Katy dela Cruz
Dely Atay-Atayan
Rogelio dela Rosa