Festivals in Philippines

-------------------

Submitted by: LL R. LOBETANIA

CONTENTS
01 02
Flores de Mayo Santacruzan

03 04 05
Sinulog Panagbenga Lechon
Festival Festival Festival
01 Flores de Mayo
Flores de Mayo is a festival held in the Philippines in the month of May. It is one
of the May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary and lasts for the entire month.

The name of the festival is derived from the Spanish language word flores
meaning "flowers." Other names are "Flores de María" ("Flowers of Mary") and
"Á lay" (Filipino for "offering").

Across the Philippine archipelago, a tradition known as Flores de Mayo, a daily

offering of flowers to Mary, the mother of Jesus, is observed throughout the
month of May. Typically the celebration culminates with a Santacruzan, a grand
finale that, as its Spanish name implies, ties in a very different theological theme
—the discovery of the True Cross by Reyna (Queen) Elena, or St. Helena, the
mother of the Emperor Constantine. That day is celebrated with Mass in the
afternoon, followed by a ritual wherein a number of young women designated as
Flores de Mayo “queens” look for a hidden Cross, with the finder being
designated as Reyna Elena.
02 Santacruzan
The Santacruzan is the ritual pageant held on the last day of the Flores
de Mayo.

The Santacruzan (from the Spanish santa cruz, "holy cross") is the
ritual pageant held on the last day of the Flores de Mayo. It honours
the finding of the True Cross by Helena of Constantinople (known as
Reyna Elena) and Constantine the Great.

Santacruzan, a pinnacle of the month-long festival, can be described as

a sort of religio-historical beauty pageant. It is held to commemorate
the discovery of the Holy Cross which, as believed, was made by Saint
Helena and her son Constantine who became the first Christian
Roman Emperor. Parades are meant to reenact both the search for the
Holy Cross and the festivities that took place in Jerusalem after its
discovery.
03 Sinulog Festival
The Sinulog-Santo Niñ o Festival (as known as Sinug and Sulog)
is an annual cultural and religious festival held on the third
Sunday of January in Cebu, with the center of the activities
being in Cebu City, and is the centre of the Santo Niñ o Christian
celebrations in the Philippines.

The festival is considered to be the biggest festival in the

Philippines, with every celebration of the festival routinely
attracting between 1 million and 1.5 million people each year.
Aside from the religious aspect of the festival, Sinulog is also
famous for its street parties, usually happening the night
before and the night of the main festival. The festival is
nicknamed the "Grandest Festival in the Philippines."
04 Panagbenga Festival
The Panagbenga Festival also called the Baguio Flower Festival,
is a month-long annual flower occasion in Baguio, Philippine.
The festival, held in February, was created as a tribute to the
city's flowers and as a way to rise from devastation of the 1990
Luzon earthquake.
The festival includes floats that are covered mostly with
flowers. The festival also includes street dancing, presented by
dancers clad in flower-inspired costumes, that is inspired by
the Bendian, an Ibaloi dance of celebration that came from the
Cordilleras.

The term is of Kankanaey origin, meaning "season of

blooming".
05 Lechon Festival
The Lechon Festival is a religious and cultural
festival in Balayan, Batangas, Philippines held
every June 24. The festival is celebrated in honor
of St. John the Baptist. Numerous activities are
performed such as lechon parade, and water
dousing.

Parada ng Lechon translates to parade of roasted

pigs and is the highlight of Lechon Festival. It
occurs in the morning of the feast day. Lechon that
are part of the parade are assembled before the
church where they are given blessing by the
priest. Then the parade commences. Participants
either walk on moving floats or on foot, some of
whom are bearing bamboo poles that carry the
roasted pig.