Philippines Celebration

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Cynthia/festivals/philippine_festivals_fs.htm

Araw ng Tatlong Hari

For Centuries, the magical bearers of gifts for Filipino children were the Three Kings, not Santa Claus. Shoes were brightly polished and left on the window sills toferther with the cleanest socks, fresh from the laundry. The children knew that the Three Kings, on their way to Bethlehem, would pass by theri homes to fill their shoes and socks with gifts. Some would thoughtfully leave some straw or dry grass for the camels; if these were gone in the morning, surely the cames must have been terribly hungry. The Feast of the Three Kings (Araw ng Tatlong Hari) is celebrated on the First Sunday of January. It is also known as the Pasko ng Matatanda (Feast of the Elderly), the day specially honors senior citizens. The feast is also called "The Epiphany" which commemorates the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi. They were called Melchor, meaning "king of light", Gaspar, "the white one", and Balthazar, "the lord of treasure". In the Middle Ages, Gaspar was depicted young, Mechor as middle-aged, and Balhtazar as ancient. They came bearing gifts or gold, frankincense and myrrh. In the city of Manila, it has been a tradition for dacades for the prestigious club Casino Español to organiza\e a Three Kings' parade on January 6 or the first Sunday of January. Dressed in royal robes, the Three Kings ride on stately horses as there are no camels in the Philippines. They parade down the block, and end at the clubhouse where children of the Spanish community await them to receive more Christmas gifts. There are gifts prepared for the poor children and orphans, too.

Feast of the Black Nazarene

Every January 9 at Quipo Church in Manila, The Black Nazarene, a life-sized statue of Christ is carried through town by barefooted men yelling, "Viva Señor, while huge crowd tries to touch the statu. The statue was bought by a priest in Mexico and brought it to Manila in 1606. Since 1787 the statue has been housed at Saint John the Baptist Church in Quiapo. For more than 200 years the church has been placing the statue on a gilded carriage every January and pulling it through the streets of Quiapo. People who touch it are reported to sometimes be healed of diseases. Catholics come from all over Manila on the chance that they will be able to get close enough to touch the image and perhaps receive a miracle. They also throw towels to the police who guard the statue and ask them to rub the towel on the statue in hopes of carrying some of that The excitement builds Ati-Atihan takes place at Kalibo in Panay in the second week of January, then at Ibajay and Makati one week later. To prepare for the festival, villagers make their own unique costumes and form groups to practice dances. Their costumes look either bizarre or regal. Anticipation builds up during the last few days of preparation and reaches an exciting climax on Friday, when the dancing and partying start.

The Carabao Festival Begining May 14th, the people of Pulilan in Bulacan Province, San Isidro in Nueva Ecija Province, and Angono in Rizal Province celebrate for two days. On the first day, farmers pay tribute to water buffalos, known as carabaos. These animals are very important for farmers because they help till the land. Farmers brush their carabaos' skin until it is sleek and shiny. Then the carabaos are decorated with ribbons and attached to carts. In the afternoon, farmers lead their carabaos to the church square to be part of the procession. At the church, the carabaos kneel for their blessings. On the second day, the carabaos compete in a friendly race.

Mayohan sa Tayabas

Tayabas-with the best panoramic view of Mt. Banahaw - cabecera for 131 years of the province of Tayabas, later named Quezon.

Celebrating the center

Mayohan sa Tayabas is a program of the municipal government that aims to facilitate the process of conscious recollection among community members. Through a 10-day celebration, from May 6-15, the Tayabanse is guided to honor the glory and bless the wounds and sacrifices of the past. Mayohan is a season for the Tayabanses to converge at the mother navel of Quezon province. Rural folk gather at the town proper; those who study and work in Manila and other places return home. They come to the center regardless of social status, religion or education, to attend family reunions, renew ties with friends and observe the thanksgiving for the bountiful blessings of mother earth. It is an opportunity to relish the gaiety of summer when the earth is breathing out splendor in Tayabas; when the plants and trees fully spread out into the sunlight, pregnant with flowers and fruits; when Banahaw mountain springs and rivers are teeming with dalag and shrimps. Children paint the Tayabas skyline with the rainbows of their kites while their laughter accompanies the summer wind.

Mayohan opens on May 6 with a parade of baliskog and tao-tao. Baliskog is the Tayabas arch of welcome while tao-tao is the scarecrow that is commonly found in rice fields. This time, however, tao-tao is dressed up as a figure of history: a Spanish a friar, a Katipunero, a Japanese soldier, a New People’s Army fighter, a Tayabasin kumadrona or healer, and many others. All 66 barangays together with government agencies and civil society showcase their baliskog and tao-tao brightly decorated with indigenous materials such as buli, rattan, dried flowers, kiping, and tistis.

Filipino Christmas Decors

Christmas: A National Fiesta The Philippines is known as the "Land of Fiestas," and at Christmas time, this is especially true. Filipinos are proud to proclaim their Christmas celebration to be the longest and merriest in the world. It begins formally on December 16 with attendance at the first of nine pre-dawn or early morning masses and continues on nonstop until the first Sunday of January, Feast of the Three Kings, the official end of the season. The Philippines is the only Asian country where Christians predominate. Majority of its people are Roman Catholic. Christmas, therefore, is an extremely important and revered holiday for most Filipinos. It is a time for family, for sharing, for giving, and a time for food, fun, and friendship. To most Filipinos, Christmas is the most anticipated fiesta of the year and is celebrated accordingly. The splendid climate of this tropical island nation, the abundance and beauty of its flowers, and lovely landscape, its multitude of culinary delights, and above all its warm-hearted people with their true devotion to family and faith all contribute to a holiday celebrated in the true Philippines fiesta tradition. Lent and Moriones

Palm Sunday Bernard Billedo Lent is a time when Catholics remember the cruxificion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During the Lenten season, numerous Passion Plays are performed as part of the celebrations. People flock to Marinduque to watch the moriones in a spectacular reenactment of the legend of Longinus.

Mindanao Festivals HARI-RAYA MICHAELMAS DAY COMEDIA Islamic festivals have deep spiritual meaning. In their moments of joy Muslims gather together in prayer as a congregation; they fall prostrate before the Great Maker to thank Him for enabling them to perform their duty. The two most significant festivals (both called 'id which means "recurring happiness") are: 'Id-alFitr (Hari-Raya Puasa) and 'Id-alAdzha (Hari-Raya Hadji).

HARI-RAYA The Hari-Raya Puasa is observed on the day that follows the end of Ramadan. During this festival Muslims start the day with an ablution (ritual cleansing), attend the Id-al-Fitr Congregational Prayer, and listen to the khut-bak (sermon). The men wear white headpieces; the women, white flowing dresses that cover them from head to foot. The entire community congregates in the mosque, constructed facing Mecca. It is not just a day of prayer, but also of festivity. As soon as the prayers are over, the whole town becomes a joyous mass of people going around in the streets absolving and getting absolved. Food and drinks are served lavishly. It is a day of generosity and charity.

The Hari-Raya Hadji is celebrated on the tenth day of the month of Jul-Hadji. It is the Feast of Sacrifice, during which the wealthy among the Muslims are enjoined to sacrifice a sheep, a goat, or a bull in the name of Allah, and to distribute the meat among relatives, neighbors, and the poor. The Hari-Raya Hadji is also a day of prayer, of forgiveness, of charity, of family reunion, of rejoicing, and of general festivity. Tribal

Kalibongan Festival August 14 marks the celebration of the Kalibongan Festival. Kalibongan is a manobo term for a Grand Festival which is celebrated yearly in Kidapawan, Cotabato. The Manobos, Bagobos, and other highland tribes from the different parts of the province go down to Kidapawan to show off and proudly display their tradition and cultural heritage. The natives display thier own version of "party" with a traditional horsefight, a "blood compact" peace ceremony, etc.

Lem-lunay (T´boli Tribal Festival)

Celebrated every third week of September. This thanksgiving festival stems from the belief of the T´boli in a golden age which they call Lem-lunay, a sort of Camelot or paradise which they would like to rebuild for themselves. Each festival is a venue to reenergize the people and renew their vow to work for this coveted state of life. Features the convergence of the 6 major tribes of South Cotabato (T´boli, Ubo, Manobo, Kalagan, Maguindanao, Tasaday) together with representatives from the

different tribes in Davao (Tirurays, Mandaya, Surigao tribes, Langilan, Bilaan, Bagog, Mansaka). The festival was originally just a small town fiesta celebrating the feast day of Sta Cruz. However, starting in the 70´s, the religious feast has incorporated the features of the Mo-inum or thanksgiving ritual of the T ´bolis. The commemorative mass held during the final day features a unique blend of Catholic ritual and ethnic color. Horse fights, traditional dances and games add more spectacle to this breathtaking and awe-inspiring festival. Here is one festival which one really has to see to believe.

National celebrations Maligayang Bagong Taon!

New Year is a riotous, rowdy fiesta when, according to Filipino Chinese beliefs, evila and ominous spirits should be warded of by noise. Familes from all walks of life gather together at the stroke of mindnight for the salubong (Welcoming the New Year). They light firecrackers, or bet their drums and pans. Some toot their car horns while stringing along empty cans. Some also ring their bells or sound sirens. Traditional Midnight Mass has been recently moved earlier in the evening so that family members are all gathered safely home by midnght where the

sumptuous Media Noche (family midnight meal) is served. On the table one would typically find 12 types of round-shaped fruits such as oranges and grapes to represent the 12 months of the year. For New Year everyone usually ware their new clothes, preferebly with polka dots or in "prosperity colors" of red and gold. Clothes must have deep pockets and be filled with new money bills and coins, that are jingled vigorously at the stroke of midnight for good luck. To invite prosperity in one's home, all light in the house must be lit and coins are scattered throughout the window sills and door steps.

Araw ng Manggagawa

Timaura by Antipas Delotavo, 1991 PGMA's Speech during the Labor Day Celebration Wednesday, May 01, 2002 Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City

DAHIL ito ang Centennial ng Kilusang Manggagawa ng ating bansa, binigyan nating kanina ng parangal ang mga namuno at naghirap para sa kilusan noong ito ay nagsimula. Doon sa mga nagsimula noon pang-100 years ago, siyempre wala na sila. One hundred years ago iyon, kaya mga apo nila ang narito. Yung mga lider naman ng henerasyong ito, ay binigyan din natin sila ng pagkikilala, yung ating mga beteranong buhay pa dito sa ating Labor Movement. Binibigyan din natin ng parangal, kahit nawala na ngayon yung ating mga kasalukuyang lider, pero nawala na, ilan sa kanila ay dahil nagmartir sa kasalukuyang henerasyon.

Araw ng Kalayaan

Imaginary Patriot by Benedicto Cabrera, 1975 June 12 is the national holiday that commemorates the begining of the First Philippine Republic (1895) and is celebrated throughout the nation with parades, firework displays, concerts and ringing of church bells. A civilian-military parade is staged through the Grand Stand of Rizal Park in Manila. Bonifacio day

Bonifacio Monument by Guillermo Tolentino, 1933 cast in bronze, Kalookan City The Katipunan Supremo: A Self-taught revolutionary In August of 1896, at Pugadlawin, Kalookan, Bonifacio gathered his men and fearlessly urged them to tear up their cedulas as a symbilic gesture of their defiance of Spanish rule. Thus began, the Philippine Revolution against Spain. Cultural festival

Jeepney King Festival

The jeepney driver is honored in Manila every month of April. Celebrations include exhibitions of colorful jeepneys and fiesta caravans. Its stereophonic sound system blares all over the road, it travels accentuating the cacophony of urban traffic. Like a breathless daredevil, it swerves aggressively and fearlessly here and there at top speed, even in the narrowest street of the city. Binirayan festival Antique revives Binirayan festival By Tadz Portal and Kitz Y. Elizalde San Jose, Antique

As Cebu's Sinulog and Kalibo's Ati-atihan festivals culminated and Iloilo's Dinagyang was set to kick off this Sunday, Antique quietly revived its own festival to begin the new year. While the Cebu, Kalibo and Iloilo festivals were all being held in honor of the Señor Sto. Niño, Antique's Binirayan Festival is to remember the Malay roots of Antiqueños. It was a timely way for the people of Antique to end the Centennial year when it revived last Dec. 29-30 the festival made famous by the late Gov. Evelio Javier,

an activity that was also buried in oblivion after he was assassinated on Feb. 11, 1986. Binirayan, held for the first time on April 30-May 1, 1974 and had become a yearly event until Javier's death, is a reenactment of the landing and settlement of the 10 Bornean datus in Barangay Malandog, Hamtic, Antique in 1240.

http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~fasawwu/resources/symbols/symbols.htm

National Symbols Bahay

Kubo

The roof of the first Philippine houses, nipa huts, or bahay kubo, were high pitched and usually open gabled to allow for ventilation. The steeply sloping pitch also protected from the wind and rain in the typhoon season. The roof also provided wide overhang eaves, to provide shade from the hot sun.

Sampaguita The flower called Sampaguita (Jasmine variety) was adopted as the National Flower of Philippines in 1934. It also happens to be the National Flower of Indonesia.

Philippine

Eagle

The National Bird of the Philippines is the Philippine Eagle (also known as the monkey eating eagle). The Philippine Eagle is a giant forest raptor endemic to the Philippines. It is considered one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world. Unfortunately, it is also one of the world's rarest and certainly among its most critically endangered vertebrate species. At present, the Philippine Eagle is one of the most endangered birds of the planet, with only about 500 birds in the wild.

Carabao The carabao (kalabaw in Filipino) is a domesticated type of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis or sometimes bubalus carabanesis) used in the Philippines. Carabaos are highly associated with farmers, being the farm animal of choice for pulling the plow and cart used to haul farm produce to the market.

Narra The large and shady Narra Tree is the national tree of Philippines. The Narra trees grow all over the islands and are abundant in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests.

Barong

Tagalog

The Barong Tagalog exhibits the loose, long lines of its Chinese sources, the airy tropical appearance of Indo-Malay costume, the elongated effect of Hindu dressing, and the ornamental restraint of European men's clothing. The barong appears to have retained its essential look since it was first worn. Through the years, almost imperceptibly, the barong's round neck, straight long sleeves and mid-thigh hemline were ingeniously modified with collar, cuffs and side slits.

Maria

Clara

Maria Clara, the name of the mestiza heroine of martyr Dr. Jose Rizal's 1890 novel, Noli Me Tangere, is the eponym for the resplendent Filipino costume in vogue at the turn of the century. The appellation is apropós for the ensemble, like the heroine, is delicate and feminine but clearly self-assured in terms of its projected sense of identity. It is, in fact, the only national costume that carries a literary name, and for this reason calls the attention to the apparel's subtle nationalist aesthitics.