I was in awe as I entered the second floor of the wooden building. A room richly furnished and draped with yellow cloth, the Maguindanao royal color, with splashes of red, green and blue details covering the ceiling and the walls. Banig, native mats with diamond designs spread on every inch of the flooring. Brass trays crowned with colorful woven dome covers with geometric designs neatly arranged in rows. These fill the central space of a Maguindanao Sultanate throne room. Except that this is inside…Continue Reading “Experiencing ARMM thru Pakarajaan 2018”
May 15 is an auspicious time for farmers and those in the traditional agriculture industries, as far as Catholic Filipinos are concerned. It is the feast day of St Isidore the Laborer, or San Isidro Labrador as we come to know him. His feast day is marked with celebrations of which the Pahiyas in Lucban is one of the well known festivities. In Bulacan, the town of Pulilan has been celebrating the Kneeling Carabaos Festival but on the eve of the saint’s feast. The Kneeling…Continue Reading “Pulilan celebrates Kneeling Carabao Festival”
Fiestas are globally known as lively celebrations of all major national holidays. All over the world, there are many different types of fiestas. For example, you can have a family fiesta in your own home without the need to honour a special occasion; just because you feel like having one! Or you can keep in line with Mexican culture and keep it traditional by commemorating Mary and Joseph’s search for refuge in Bethlehem. However you choose to celebrate or if you’re just simply fascinated by…Continue Reading “9 Fun-filled Facts about Mexican Fiestas”
Abra, on its 98th Foundation Day celebrated and paid homage to its most abundant and versatile product, the bamboo in a series of dances, colorful presentations of its rich Ilocano and Itneg (Tinguian) cultural identity as well as a several events during the 8th Abrenian Kawayan Festival held last 6-9 March 2015. First introduced by current Governor Eustaquio Bersamin in 2009 to promote the bamboo as a top product of the province, the festival has been a venue of unity and celebration as well as…Continue Reading “Abra celebrates the bamboo on 98th Foundation Day”
The crowd has already gathered at the beach in Villa Arevalo in Iloilo that morning as colorful sails of the paraws, native outrigger boats lined the shores. It was low tide and the sea was about a hundred meters away. It was festive with many photographers, onlookers and locals congregating at the shore, only to be cordoned off by college students. The Iloilo Paraw Regatta, as of 2015, is on its 39th year and claims as the “oldest native craft event in Asia” and “the…Continue Reading “Stunningly beautiful, colorful sails at the Paraw Regatta”