The Religious Aspect
A fiesta is in honor of a town’s patron saint. Like in my place, our fiesta is in honor of Nuestra Senora Virgen dela Regla. For Valencia it’s for the Our Lady of the Abandoned.
That’s why one of the most important activities of a town fiesta is the procession of the patron saint around the town and the 9 day novena that culminates on the eve of the fiesta. Pious and religious locals will attend the novena as well as the procession.
The celebration can be a thanksgiving for a good harvest as in the Fiesta of San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers; its most famous example is probably that of the Pahiyas Festival. Some fiestas are celebrated to commemorate the patron saint’s canonization anniversary or arrival in the town.
In the city, simple fiesta celebrations are overtaken by grandiose festivals like that of Cebu’s “Sinulog” and Ilo-ilo’s “Ati-Atihan”.
I still like how fiestas are in the small towns and barrios.
The Sights and Sounds
Transformations happen during the fiesta season. A once sleepy town plaza dresses up for this major event putting her best face forward. Beautification efforts will be in full swing, temporary structures like stages and bazaar areas are set-up and banderitas will sprout all over the major roads of the town.
Multiple lines of colorful buntings or buntings hanging from posts to posts and buildings to buildings that seem to go on forever as you cruise through the road are a major telling mark of a town fiesta. If you see these buntings, you can bet that the approaching town is soon celebrating this event or have just celebrated it.
banderitas ng pyesta!
The road leading to the town church and the plaza will also be surrounded by hawkers of balloons, cotton candies, trinkets, souvenir shirts and all sorts of things. Kids will be counting the coins they have, wanting to buy this shiny object and that sweet looking treat. There will also be this little carnival area where the little ones can play games of luck and chicks with colorful feathers become prizes.
Across the PH islands and provinces you’ll catch kids enjoying cotton candy!
There is of course something for the teens, the ladies and the hip ones, an array of jewelry sellers will be ready to convince you to part with your cash.
“These gold and silvers are real!”
If you turn to walk away, they’ll stop you, grabbing your attention by pointing to this dish with a solution in it: “Look, these earrings and pendants are swimming in a solution of calamansi and vinegar! See, they don’t rust, the shiny luster does not fade too!” they’ll claim in earnest.
Familiar? Hehe
Here’s one more, you will likely see these herbalist surrounded with a throng of curious onlookers. These medicine men with booming voices will shout at the top of their lungs calling people on the street to come check out their wares. Lately, many of them are already using microphones or a voice recording of them shouting out their herbs and roots, very practical if I may say so. =)
These herbalist have lana or oil to cure snake bites, tree roots concoctions to heal stomachache, almoranas, menstrual cramp and all sorts of ailments. They have also have potions or gayuma to make your crush fall in love with you. No wonder people converged on their spots on the road hehe.
Some town will have a visiting caravan or perya which puts up a mini circus and Entertainment Park; whole families and barkadahan can then go to, to enjoy the carnival. Special shows will be put up with big banner posters enticing you to come see ‘this giant who eats live chicken’ or ‘this dwarf who can carry a 200-pounds man with one arm’.
Nahhh am just exaggerating; I think shows like this are no longer in favor because of their exploitative nature. But to this day a carnival or perya’s special rides are something that still attracts the multitudes. When I was a kid I like riding the ferris wheel and the caterpillar. I would be screaming my heart out when the caterpillar ride starts to go faster and faster. Hehe, little thrills that come cheap. =)
Several nights before the Big Day, numerous contests and pageants are happening one after the other from Beauty Pageant to Gay Beauty Pageant to “diskoral” and “bayle” to Amateur Singing Contest and more.
I wonder do they still call them amateur singing contest these days? 🙂
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