The beat of the drum started as the whistle blew, the cue for the contingent to start. Elaborate headresses done in mostly chicken feathers, colorful costumes and skimpy thongs, it was a riot of dances, chants, shouts and heavily marked with stunning props as tribes romped off and competed in the different stages around Downtown Iloilo City for the Dinagyang 2014. It was fast. Movements became a blur, colors flashed as lady dancers sashayed, while boys were in fighting postures. They kicked up a cloud…Continue Reading “Colorful, wonderful Dinagyang Festival!”
The Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo is a very colorful event which is held primarily for the Sto. Niño (sadsad). Culminating on the fourth Sunday of January, it is one of the most popular festivals in the country. However, the day before, a Saturday, there is another street dancing, albeit minor but nevertheless colorful: the Kasadyahan Regional Fiesta. The colorful Kasadyahan Festival Iloilo is a gathering of winners from the different festivals in Western Visayas thus expect to see dancers from the Masskara in Bacolod City,…Continue Reading “Dinagyang Festival: The colorful Kasadyahan Fiesta”
The drum and bugle corp was playing a familiar tune, that of the Sinulog beat in Cebu as Sto. Niño devotees massed, waved their hands and danced while chanting Viva Pit Señor! But I wasn’t in my home province. Far from it. I was infront of the San Jose Church of Iloilo City for the Dinagyang religious sadsad. Sadsad is a form of religious devotion, a prayer dancing in honor of the Sto. Niño where devotees pray and offer their intentions. It can go on…Continue Reading “The Dinagyang religious Sadsad for the Sto. Nino”