Philippines is one of the countries tourist will surely love to visit any time of the year. With its wonderful beaches, beautiful sceneries, hospitable people, cheap prices, not to mention their colorful festivals, Philippines is really a country with a lot of things to be proud of. Many foreigners who have been in the country were fascinated by the experiences that the country has to offer. And at the top of these experiences are the different colorful festivals in every town and city of every province in the Philippines. This is not exaggeration! It is only in the Philippines that one will find hundreds of festivals celebrated from the north to the south of the 7,107 islands that makes up the entire nation.
Here are things that one can expect when experiencing a Filipino festival at its finest.
Colorful Lanterns
Filipinos call them “banderettas” . These are series of small triangular bannerettes that are placed in major streets. These decorations indicate that a weeklong celebration of thanksgiving to a certain patron saint is about to commence. This is the very first step in a Filipino fiesta. So if you see such decoration while visiting the Philippines, you are definitely in for a big celebration. Enjoy!
Parade of Giant Floats
This is one of the things that everyone is looking forward to every year during the parade. As if to announce to the entire city or town that a celebration is going on, festival organizers always schedule a parades complete with street bands and majorettes. One will also not miss the big floats decorated with colorful flowers and anything that is connected to the kind of festival the town is celebrating. There are festival floats covered with very colorful flowers during the Flower Festival in Baguio, and there are floats that are filled with Filipino delicacies during another town’s festival. If you want to see a giant tuna displayed in a float, you can always find one in a tuna festival here in the Philippines. Don’t forget to put it on your travel checklist.
Street Dances and Tribal Dance Competitions
Another highlight of the Filipino festival is the street dance competition. Almost, if not all, of the festivals hold the dance competitions every year. Other towns and provinces are equally eager to join the competition by sending out delegates to the celebrating town. Delegates practice months before the competition, all for the big prices and the bragging rights to be called the best dance troupe in the whole province, country even.
Street Parties
This is one that should not be missed. Oozing with beer, thumping crowd, loud disco music and live bands, it is one of the experiences that most of the younger foreign visitors enjoy the most. It is only during festivals that local governments allow people to dance, drink and party in the streets freely. So if you are one for hot and energetic party crowds, this is just the place to go. A piece of advice though; always keep an eye on your belongings. You may end up losing them or putting them on someone else’s hands.
Lechon and Other Filipino Foods
Although lechon is not an all original Filipino dish, it is still a big hit for the Filipinos. It is the symbol of celebration for the Filipinos. And naturally, when asked for the dish they will prepare for the fiesta, lechon is on top of the list. For those who are not familiar with what lechon is, it is a whole pig, around 60-80 kilos, seasoned and roasted over slow fire until thoroughly cooked. Filipinos will fight over the crispy skin of lechon any time of the day.
Aside from lechon, Filipinos will also have a list of Filipino dishes served during the festivals. Some of these are adobo, kare-kare, pochero, papaitan and some other fatty foods. There are also a lot of awesome, tasty and very fruity deserts served all throughout the celebration. So if you are a foody, and an adventurous eater, you will enjoy every bit of this experience.