Filipinos love Fiestas. Meanwhile, and after living in the Philippines more then 11 years, I love such Fiestas too.
Let's start next month. Musikahan sa Tagum is a week-long musical extravaganza featuring the city's best bands, choral groups, rondalla and dances in a musical competition. The Musikahan is the opening salvo of the Mindanao Regional Festival ahead of the the April Caracoles Festival of the Island Garden City of Samal Island and many more other festivities.
Every February, the streets of Tagum City come alive with festival colors, marching music artists, dancing ladies in full regalia, and wild cheering. it's enough to keep both locals and tourists (and of course expats!) singing and dancing to the beat of the music, and more than enough to captivate any music lover's heart. Don't miss it... .
Also in February you should visit Jose Abad Santos, Davao del Sur. Immerse in the culture of Jose Abad Santos through Kapyaan Festival, a celebration of gratitude for a bountiful harvest. The feast beckons (again) BOTH local and foreign tourists as well as expats to participate in activities like street dancing, musical contents, and float parades.
The month March will bring us many more festivities:
The week long Araw ng Tagum (March 1-7) commemorates Tagum's establishment as a city in 1998. As the provincial capital of Davao del Norte, Tagum is one of the fastest-growing cities in Mindanao and has been cited as one of the 20 most viable and most competitive sites in the Philippines in 2005.
In March one can also experienced the IGACOS Festival (Island Garden City of Samal). Accentuated by Samalenos'frenzied revelry in a fluvial parade of boats, banca race, and sand sculpture competitions, Igacos Festival is a celebration that shows Samal Island is more than the usual island sun, sand, and sea.
March 14-16: Araw ng Davao. One way to catch the soul Davao city is indeed to witness the vibrant feast that commemorates this city's charter day. A window to the oneness of this multicultural city, where I really love to live since 1999 for good, is a showcase of festivities that exhibit the culture , passion, and art of Davaoenos. Major events of the festival include an opening ceremony featuring tri-peoples offering and historical vignette performances, trade fair and flea market, and among many other things the search for the "Mutya ng Dabaw", the city's ambassadress of goodwill.
Two more exciting fiestas are waiting for you at the end of March: The Kuradang sa Dalan in Panabo City, Davao del Norte: Release your energy in an estatic street dancing and wriggle your body to the beat of the gongs in Panaboans' way of celebrating a bountiful harvest. Or go to Kapalong, Davao del Sur: In this colorful celebration that features trade fairs and culture shows. The star of the event is the banana, Davao's number one export and the largest contributor in the economy.
Not yet enough? In April there'll be another festival of gratitude for the rich environment, the Pista sa Kinaiyahan in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur. It is celebrated through tree planting and coastal and mountain clean-up.
Enjoy and have fun!
