Why not kick off the new year with a handful of fabulous fiestas across the Philippines and enjoy a month of partying, Pinoy style!
The fake pine trees are packed away, the carols have died down and all the gifts have been unwrapped. Yes, Christmas is over, but don’t stop the merry-making just yet. In case you’ve forgotten, the Philippines is the nation of fun-loving people with a constant yearning for good times. While others lament and wallow in post-holiday blues, Filipinos are already planning a new calendar of non-stop festivities.
In fact, it all starts with a bang on the first month of the year. January is a host to truly spectacular events worth ample dose of good cheer. They range from the somewhat solemn to the downright insane; occasions that bear deep cultural significance (not to mention plenty of simple joys) for those who celebrate them. There’s one of these happening everyday, somewhere in the Philippines‘s 7,100 islands. Indeed, the party never stops — from the grassy plains up north to the islands down south, we show you five exciting fiestas to look forward to in the month of January.
Bring On the Buling
In the district of Pandacan, the year’s first fiesta is called Buling-buling. The Buling-buling honors the Child Christ – the beloved Santo Nino, a popular and pervasive image. On the 15th, Pandacan residents take their Santo Nino statues onto the streets. Hundreds of men, women and children make their appearance dressed in colorful Spanish-era costumes. They groove to the jumpy notes of a marching band, stepping left and right, in faithful adherence to the moves of the classic Buling-buling dance. This gracefully waving parade starts at one end of town, makes its way past the bandarita-strewn main avenues and into the area just past the old church. The people recite a series of prayers which is then followed by a mass blessing of the Santo Nino images. this fiesta may last only a few hours, but what it lacks in duration, it makes up for in good-natured gaiety. This is a slice of the rural in a thoroughly urban district — and a pocket-sized fiesta that’s literally at your doorstep.
Saintly Dance
While the Quiapo festivity is ongoing, another age-old tradition is in full swing up north. This one boasts a somewhat bouncier disposition. From January 6-10, the town of Sasmuan, in the province of Pampanga, celebrates the Kuraldal. Part prayer and part revelry, it is for Saint Lucy, who is said to have loved dancing. Lucy, who is said to have loved dancing. On the eve of the feast, pilgrims from all over arrive, and for the next five days, the brass bands let loose on the streets, their music playing amid shouts of “Viva Apung Lucia!” from the dancing devotees. It’s a good bet you’ll be invited into a local home for Pampangueno fare like tamales, tibok-tibok, and pancit palabok. On the last day, the holy image has a final procession, the music is at its loudest, the crowd at its merriest, and the dancing at its best.
Downtown’s Biggest Feast
In Manila, the first big fiesta is the Feast of the Black Nazarene. On the ninth of this month, the streets in downtown Quiapo will be chock-full of smiling, barefoot folks making their way to the venerable old Quiapo Church, all the while bearing religious statues and blaring brass bands. There’s also a strange assortment of fortune tellers, anting-anting (talisman)hawkers, and vendors selling all sorts of knick-knacks and street food to add interest. Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno de Quiapo is the 400-year old, wooden statue of the Suffering Christ. Witness the people’s devotion to it in the tranlacion — a mammoth procession. Touch the statue for good luck in the new year, and everyone takes this to heart. Watch the proceedings from above (the Plaza Miranda side of Quezon Bridge offers a good view). The chaotic yet unusually peaceful parade starts midday at the Luneta and ends around midnight at the Quiapo Church.
Viva Santo Nino!
Elsewhere in the Philippines, more parties await, and they are louder, rowdier, and flashier in the Visayas, down south. The Santo Nino is again, the object of devotion; the fiestas are usually associated with a single image — that of the soot-blackened, lavishly costumed Ati-ati warrior. The Ati-atihan tradition is the classic symbol of this fiesta-crazy country of the Philippines. Aklan is where it all started, since the time the dark-skinned started Ati tribespeople were converted to Christianity and Christian settlers were so elated, they dressed themselves like their newfound brothers. Celebrated all over Aklan, the biggest revelry is in the capital of Kalibo. On January 14, dozens of Ati-ati “tribes” take to the streets, alongside Aklanons bearing the status of the Child Christ. Through ear-splitting drumbeats, hear the cries of “Hala bira! Pwera pasma! Viva Santo Nino!” (“Go gettum! Nobody gets tired! Long live Santo Nino!”). The townspeople dance on till Monday’s dawn. But there’s more. The nearby towns of Ibajay and Altavas hold their own Ati-atihan. And in Iloilo City, four hours away, they have the Ati-styled, Dinagyang celebration
Bullfight Festival
Four galloping hooves, 300 pounds of bone and beef plus a pair of horns hurtling towards you, eyes blazing, nostrils flaring, totally hell-bent on a bone-crunching collision. Enjoy the thrill of the Pasungay!
Held annually on the second Saturday of January, in the rural town of San Joaquin, Iloilo where farming dates back to the 1800s, the Pasungay offers a different take on the fiesta. There are no matadors here. This is one of the few places in the world where a bullfight is actually between bulls. Around 40 to 50 of these creatures make their appearance during this event, competing for the grand prize in a morning derby. Later in the day, a series of paaway, or horsefights are also held.
The soltadas (matches) take place at the San Joaquin Sports Stadium which is easy to get to from the town plaza — just follow the moos. Then watch the bulls in their fuming, raging glory and place your bets. The really fun part is after the match when the bulls chase each other throughout the area, plowing through everything in their way.
Animal lovers need not despair, for the Pasungay isn’t a reckless misuse of bovine brawn. It’s a timeless celebration of the San Joaquin way of life — one that reaffirms the age-old partnership of man and beast, and one that will surely remain for many more years.