CEBU FESTIVALS

DINAGAT FESTIVAL IN CORDOVA

 Dinagat Festival in Cordova is a popular
celebration that is annually held to showcase
the livelihood and fishing culture of this
municipality. Dinagat is celebrated with
religious association by holding it during the
feast of the town's patron saint – San Roque.

 The Feast of St. Roque falls on August 16 but

the festivities usually start a few days
before.
ORIGIN OF DINAGAT FESTIVAL
Itis first organized by the town’s local government officials to
celebrate that abundance of the town’s resources, while at the same
time promotes the town by attracting guests and visitors from outside.

This newly established festival has its roots from ‘bakasi festival’, a
celebration that gives tribute to the abundance of eel (locally called
‘bakasi’) in the area.

The festival is first initiated in 2009. The main objective is to offer

tribute to the sea resources that support the livelihood of the locals.

Cordova people do a lot of fish-catching activities to support their

families and their markets that supply sea food products to other
places in the province.
 Additionally, since the Cordovahanon’s found
the sea as the source of their daily life,
Dinagat is organized and celebrated to raise
awareness in respecting the sea and protecting
it from harm. This means that environmental
activities that promote awareness and
protection are the themes included in this
festivity.

Through the colorful and attractive

celebrations, the locals and its officials hope
to encourage and attract support for their
cause from local, national as well as
international support.
 KADAUGAN SA MACTAN IN
LAPU-LAPU CITY
 The festival of Kadaugan sa Mactan is known to be
celebrated in Cebu, Philippines in the month of April as
the defeat of Magellan by Lupa Lupa is re-enacted
annually at the beach of Barangay Mactan where the event
had actually taken place (Mactan Shrine). This is a major
attraction for the tourists and the locals in the city and
draws a lot of crowd.

 Kadaugan sa Mactan literally implies about the ‘Victory of

Mactan’. It was also called Bahugbahug sa Mactan or
‘Melee at Mactan’ when it was initially staged in 1981.
The exact time of the commencement of the festival
mostly depends on the tidal conditions and otherwise it is
known to begin at around 8 in the early morning hours.
 This festival is mostly celebrated on the
27th of April with much grandeur and
pageantry. This festival grants the
Cebuano people a good opportunity to re-
visit the days of Mactan Battle between
Magellan and Lapu-Lapu and also to
celebrate their history and events.
Being in Cebu you shouldn’t miss out on a
visit to this grand celebration in order to
get a clear idea about Cebuano history
and culture.
MANDAUE’S MANTAWI FESTIVAL

 The Mantawi Festival is a yearly event celebrated every May 7 in

Mandaue City, Cebu. The festival is a celebration of Mandaue’s rich
cultural and historical heritage and its importance today as a
commercial and industrial center in Cebu.
 Local historians say that the name Mantawi is a species of
indigenous vine or tree that abundantly grew in a cove in the shores
of Cebu when the explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in 1521. The
Spaniards eventually built a settlement on the site of the cove that
later became the village of Tipolo, which today is one of the
barangays in Mandaue.
 Tipolo is the location of the first dry-docking facility in the country
that serviced the galleons that carried the Philippines’ trade with
other countries during the Galleon Trade from the 16th century to
the early 19th century.
 The Mantawi Festival was first celebrated on the
charter day of the city n August 30. But, the date
was changed to the last Sunday of August since it
overwhelmed the celebration of the charter day of
the city. It was eventually moved to May 7 to 8,
which is also the same date as the annual fiesta of
the city. The annual fiesta of Mandaue City is
celebrated in honor of the patron saint of the city,
St. Joseph the Worker. 
SAROK FESTIVAL IN
CONSOLACION
 Sarok Festival
 October 28-29. Consolacion Cebu will celebrates the “Adlaw sa
Consolacion” or the 14th Sarok Festival 2009. The annual
celebrations is honor of its Patron Saint San Narciso. The
festival is participated by different barangays, elementary and
high school students. They will be portraying and showcasing
how “SAROK” made a life to the community especially the
farmers of Consolacion Cebu.
 Sarok means a kind of hat that made from bamboo strips and
dried banana leaves and this is commonly used by farmers of
Consolacion for protection from the rain and heat of the sun.
Also, Sarok is the main livelihood of Barangay Tulotulo. The
first Sarok Festival was held in the year of 1996, by then a
resolution is mandated of the local officials that Sarok Festival
will be celebrated every October 28-29 as part of the Founding
Anniversary of the Municipality of Consolacion.
ROSQUILLOS FESTIVAL IN LILO-
AN
 The Municipality of Liloan is a town located
in the northern part of Cebu. It offers a
number of places tourists can visit if they get
the chance to drop by the town. Similar to
other towns on the island, Liloan also
celebrates the Rosquillos Festival every year.
 The festival highlights the product that has
contributed to the local economy and
brought honor to the town. 
 Rosquillos

The Rosquillos is a circular cookie that resembles a donut

since it has a hole in the middle. It is made of flour, sugar,
eggs, baking powder and shortening. Its origin can be
traced back to 1907 when Margarita “Titay” Frasco created
the crunchy cooking with the ingredients she had in her
kitchen. Using her egg beater, baking tins, and clay oven,
Titay created what became one of the best-loved
delicacies in the town. 
Rosquillos Festival is one of the festivities anchored on the
town's celebration of the feast of its patron, San Fernando
El Rey, which is held every May. This is the 12th year of
the festival since it started in 2008.
QUESEO FESTIVAL
THE QUESEO FESTIVAL IN
COMPOSTELA
 The queseo is a cheese delicacy made from
carabao’s milk. The traditional method of
making the delicacy is meticulous, but the
final product is distinctively creamy. It is
best paired with crackers, biscuits, or piping-
hot pandesal. The queseo is the product
highlighted by the Municipality of
Compostela in their annual festival, the
Queseo Festival.
 Caballo Festival 

Compostela used to celebrate the Caballo

Festival in honor of the patron saint of the
town, Sr. Santiago de Apostol or St. James the
Apostle. The word “caballo” is the Spanish word
for horse. The Caballo Festival of Compostela is
rooted on the portrayal of the loyal Apostle of
Jesus riding a white horse, which is considered
legendary and symbolic to the Spaniards. The
essence of the Caballo Festival was unity, faith,
development, and strength. 
 The Caballo Festival was later changed into the
Queseo Festival after Compostela adopted the one-
town-one-product drive of the provincial
government. The queseo is a livelihood product of
many residents of the mountain barangays of the
town. The festival was created to facilitate the
promotion of the product. It was necessary to
develop a dance routine mimicking the tedious
process of making the queseo. After careful analysis
of the movements in the process along with a little
imagination, seven main dance steps were created
for the festival.
THANK YOU!