10 Most Famous and Favorite Festivals in the Philippines

10 Most Famous and Favorite Festivals in the Philippines

By: nobert bermosa

The Philippines has more than a hundred festivals celebrated elsewhere in the archipelago. Here's a list of the ten most famous and favorite festivals in the country. These festivals are not arranged in any particular order so not to be bias because these festivals are considered the best of the best.

1. Dinagyang Festival - Iloilo City, Philippines

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The Dinagyang Festival is celebrated every fourth weekend of January to commemorate the Christianization of the natives and to honor the Holy Child Jesus. It is a very colorful parade coupled with a dramatization in honor of the patron Saint - Sto. Niño. The object of dramatized offerings and prayers amidst the cracking of drums and shouts of "Viva Señor Santo Niño" and the thundering of "Hala Bira" by the tribe members makes the celebration a lively one.

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2. Higantes Festival - Angono, Rizal

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A festival that dates back to the late 1800s, the town of Angono celebrates the Higantes Festival which is characterized by huge papier mache effigies or "higantes". The fiesta is held in honor of San Clemente. The town's fiesta is celebrated every 22nd and 23rd of November.

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3. Kadayawan Festival - Davao City, Philippines

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It is a celebration of Good Harvest! This globally famous festival is a weeklong celebration and thanksgiving for nature's bountiful harvest. Kadayawan Festival is being celebrated every 3rd Week of August. This is a celebration of the plentiful harvests of fruits and orchids during the season.

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4. Ati-atihan Festival- Kalibo, Aklan

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It is the wildest among Philippine fiestas and considered as the Mother of All Philippine festivals. Celebrants paint their faces with black soot and wear bright, outlandish costumes as they dance in revelry during the last three days of this two week-long festival. Catholics and non-Catholics alike observe this special day with processions, parades, dancing, and merrymaking. It's celebrated annually every third week of January to honor the feast of the Holy Infant Jesus.

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5. Maskara Festival- Bacolod City, Philippines

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Bacolod's most popular fiesta, is celebrated on the third weekend of October closest to October 19, the city's charter day anniversary. Festivities kick off with food fairs, mask-making contests, brass band competitions, beauty pageants, windsurfing regatta, drinking and eating contests, trade fairs and exhibits.

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6. Moriones Festival - Marinduque, Philippines

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One of the Philippines' most Colorful Festival

One of the most colorful festivals celebrated in the island of Marinduque is the Moriones Festival. Morion means "mask" or "visor," a part of the medieval Roman armor which covers the face. Moriones, on the other hand, refers to the masked and costumed penitents who march around the town for seven days searching for Longinus. This week-long celebration starts on Holy Monday and culminates on Easter Sunday. The festival is characterized by colorful Roman costumes, painted masks and helmets, and brightly-colored tunics.

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7. Pahiyas Festival - LucBan, Quezon

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Pahiyas Festival is a colorful feast in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saints of farmers, as a thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest. Houses along the old streets of Lucban are artistically decorated with agricultural harvest, and of the very unique highlight of the festival, the "kiping." It is a wafer made up of rice that comes in different colors.

May is the season for festivals in the Philippines. One of the most extravagant festivals celebrated in the country is the Pahiyas Festival. Province of Quezon hosts this festival every 15th of May. The celebration of the Pahiyas Festival has been going on since the 16th century. It is a way for the local folk to give thanks to a bountiful harvest.

8. Panagbenga Festival - Baguio City, Philippines

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The Panagbenga Festival is held yearly during the month of February. The celebrations are held for over a month and peak periods are the weekends. The Panagbenga Festival showcases the many floral floats and native dances. At this time of year, the City of Pines is almost surely in flower fury over Panagbenga festival, the city's biggest festival.

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9. Pintados Festival - Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines

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The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival is a merry-making event lasting a whole month, highlights of which include the Leyte Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals, the Pintados Festival Ritual Dance Presentation and the "Pagrayhak" Grand Parade. These festivals are said to have began from the feast day of Señor Santo Niño, held every June 29th. The Leyteños celebrate a religious festival in a unique and colorful way. Since the Visayans are experienced in the art of body tattooing, men and women are fond of tattooing themselves.

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10. Sinulog Festival - Cebu City, Philippines

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The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest, most distinguished and most colorful festivals in the Philippines. The major festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus. It is fundamentally a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people's pagan past and their recognition of Christianity.

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These festivals are celebrated annually as a way of the Filipino people of saying thank you to their Creator for all the blessings that He continue to shower and as a way as well of keeping the traditions and customs of Filipinos alive that have started a hundred years ago.

For calendar of festivals in the Philippines see

Festivals All-Year Round in the Philippines

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Ifugao Rice Terraces: The 8th Wonder of the World

Best Island Tourist Destinations in the Philippines

Best Tourist Destinations in the Philippines

What Makes Batanes Unique From Other Tourist Destinations?

The Top Six Most Popular caves in the Philippines

Top 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Philippines

Baguio City: A City in the Sky

Come, visit the "Pearl of the Orient Seas" and see for yourself these wonderful festivals.