Philippine
Festival Dances
FESTIVAL DANCES are cultural dances
performed to the strong beats of
percussion instruments by a
community of people sharing the same
culture usually done in honor of a
Patron Saint or in thanksgiving of a
bountiful harvest. Festival dances may
be religious or secular in nature.
RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL
- in honor of a certain religious icon
SECULAR OR NON-RELIGIOUS
FESTIVAL
- in thanksgiving or celebration of
peoples industry and bountiful
harvest.
Festival dances draw the people’s culture by
portraying the people’s ways of life through
movements, costumes and implements
inherent to their place of origin.
Basically, festivals are a form of
entertainment that attract foreign and
domestic tourists to visit a place eventually
leading to the elevation of the Filipino’s
quality of life.
3rd weekend of January | Kalibo, Aklan
One of the most popular of the Philippine festivals, the
Ati-atihan is a celebration in honor of the Sto. Niño.
Revelers done colorful costumes and paint their bodies
black and dance to the distinctive beat of "Hala bira!"
around the town. Mostly Filipino youths participate in
the programs. These youngsters practice for a long
time to perfect their performances. A lot of people
enjoy this event because of the music and the tribal
dance steps.
3rd weekend of January | Cebu City
The Feast of the Sto. Niño is celebrated
in Cebu with a procession, street
dancing competition and a fluvial
parade. Much like the Ati-atihan, the
Sinulog Festival is marked by frenzied
revelry to the chant of "Pit Senor!"
4th weekend of January | Iloilo City
The Dinagyang Festival is also an adaptation of the Ati-
atihan Festival and is held Iloilo City in honor of the
Santo Niño. However, unlike the Ati-atihan and Sinulog
Festivals, it is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of
January. The festival is known for being the first one to
ever have its own mascot, Dagoy. It also features the
creative “dinagyang pipes” made from PVC. Mobile
risers are also prominent in the Dinagyang
choreography.
February | Baguio City
The word “Panagbenga” comes from the
Kankanaey term that means “season of
blooming.” With the numerous parades of floral
floats and children dressed as flora and fauna, it
definitely lives up to its name, making Baguio
the perfect destination for those who still have
a hangover from the huge festivals in January.
3rd week of August | Davao City
Kadayawan comes from the Dabawenyo word
“madayaw,” a friendly greeting which means good or
beautiful. The Kadayawan Festival is among the most
colorful festivals in the country, featuring a wide
range of cultural presentations and backgrounds
especially because of its ethnic origins. This is also a
harvest festival, with trade fairs and ethnic shows
featured throughout the month.
19th of October | Bacolod City
The Masskara Festival is a colorful celebration
characterized by smiling masks worn by dancers and
participants. Although the festival centers on the
masks, “masskara” does not directly translate to
“masks” as what is widely known or assumed by the
people. The actual meaning of “masskara” is actually
the fusion of “mass” which means a multitude of
people” and “cara” which means “face”.
29th of June | Tacloban City
The Pintados Festival celebrates the body-
painting traditions of the ancient tattooed
“pintados” warriors. In recent years, the
celebration was merged with the
Kasadyaan Festival to create a livelier,
more colorful Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival.
Holy Week | Boac, Gasan, and Mogpog, Marinduque
This week-long celebration of the life of St.
Longinus is what makes Marinduque one of the top
destinations during Holy Week in the Philippines.
Morion is the helmet worn by the centurions while
Moriones refers to the costumed penitents
reenacting the search for St. Longinus, hunted by
his fellow centurions for converting to Christianity.
July | Koronadal City, South Cotabato
The festival gets its name from “t’nalak,” a colorful
abaca cloth, created and woven by the women of the
T’boli tribe of South Cotabato. The design of the cloth is
unique and “dreamed up” by the person who creates it.
That’s why the province is known as “The Land of the
Dreamweavers.” The T’nalak fabric serves as the
festival icon because it symbolizes the blending of the
culture, strength, and unity of the various ethnic
groups living in the province.
15th of May | Lucban, Quezon
The Pahiyas Festival is an ancient celebration and one
of the best known harvest festivals in the Philippines.
“Pahiyas” literally translates to “precious offering”,
something that the locals give back to San Isidro
Labrador. Houses and establishments across Lucban are
decked with local agricultural harvests, including
flowers, rice stalks, rice grains, and various fruits and
vegetables. A statue of San Isidro Labrador is paraded
along the streets.
