Jorous Pita Declaro Grade 7 Ukelele

Mark Kenneth Gallego MAPEH 7

Leyte's Festival of Festivals

Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival

Held every June, the festival pays homage

to Tacloban’s patron saint, Señor Santo
Niño de Tacloban, through merrymaking
and a display of the rich cultural heritage
of Leyte and Samar. It also depicts how
their ancestors came to accept
Christianity.
“Kasadyaan” in the Visayan tongue
means merriment. The festival of festivals
brings together the vibrant and colorful
celebrations of Leyte's various towns.
Samar, Biliran, and other provinces of Visayas and Mindanao also join Region 8's chief festival.
The first Pintados Festival was held on June 29, 1987 in memory of the first inhabitants of the
Visayas who were called "pintados." These Visayan men had their bodies tattooed from the ankles
up to their upper torso and neck. The braver ones even extended their tattoo marks up to their
cheeks, around their eyes and forehead. This art of body painting had even amazed the Spanish
colonizers.
In 1996, the Leyte government introduced another festival, the “Leyte Kasadyaan Festival of
Festivals.” The Pintados and Kasadyaan festivals were later fused into this single grand
celebration.

Buyogan Festival

Buyogan is a cultural feast that is

celebrated annually in the month of
August. The word “buyog” refers to a
bee in which the town of Abuyog, Leyte
got its name. Abuyog is the home of the
famous Buyogan Festival that brings
pride to the Leyteños for winning street
contests in various events that was held during the Aliwan Festival in Manila and Sinulog Festival
in Cebu. Buyogan Festival is one of the highlights in a long-week celebration in honor of St.
Francis Xavier.
Jorous Pita Declaro Grade 7 Ukelele
Mark Kenneth Gallego MAPEH 7

The name of the town “Abuyog” originated at the time when the Spaniards landed at the shores of
a river. When they saw the shore, they noticed a swarm of bees. The Spaniards then asked about
the name of the place but the natives thought that they were asking about the name of those flying
insects, so they answered “buyog”. The Spaniards repeated what they said, “Ah! Buyog”. And that
is why the town is now called Abuyog.
According to an old legend, Abuyog has a mystical creature known as Opayda. It is said that
Opayda is a good fairy who guides the fishermen back to the shore using her magical voice and
that she helped cure victims of bee stings.
Buyogan Festival is one of the best festivals of the Philippines. It showcases an artistic
choreography that represents the various sizes, shapes and colors of bees. Performers are dress in
a bee costumes while some of the locals who watch the performances have their faces and bodies
being painted with tribal tattoos that represent the ethnic history and rich culture of Abuyog, Leyte.
The street dancing parade happens around the coastal town of Abuyog. Children also participate
in the said event as little bees buzzing around in a reproduction of a beehive.
The bee-inspired festival earned its fame when the Abuyog Tribe joined the Aliwan Festival and
managed to win as the grand champion. In the first Leyte Kasadyaan Festival in October 1996,
Buyogan was the champion and was declared as Hall of Famer for winning as champion for five
times since that year. As Hall of Famer, they were not allowed to compete for the next competition
as being the winner for many years. And when it made a comeback in the year 2007, the well-
loved Buyogan Festival won again in the Pintados-Kasadyaan held in Tacloban City.
Have fun and be entertained by the vibrant bees at the Buyogan Festival of Abuyog and witness
their award-winning performances.

The Piña Festival is also a

celebration of the bountiful harvest of
pineapple, a product that is distinct to the
city of Ormoc which locals also dubbed
as the “city of the most beautiful people.”

Ormoc Queen Pineapple is a variety that

is among the sweetest in the world and
being produced in farmlands in this city,
second to sugarcane that is the top
agricultural produce of Ormoc.

“The Piña Festival also seeks to promote not only Ormoc’s very own sweet queen pineapple, but
also its people’s strong personality that overcomes challenges and obstacles they faced from
personal problem to calamities and disasters,” Gomez said.
Jorous Pita Declaro Grade 7 Ukelele
Mark Kenneth Gallego MAPEH 7
At least 500 hectares of local agricultural land, primarily owned by three well-known families, are
devoted to pineapple. More than 100 tons of pineapple are produced every year from these
plantations.

Ormoc City is a first-class independent component city of Leyte province with a population of
215,031, making it the second most-populous city in the province after Tacloban, the region's
capital. Ormoc is also the economic, cultural, commercial and transportation hub of western
Leyte. (PNA)

BINAYBAYON FESTIVAL
Incepted in 2007 with Baybay’s
proclamation a city, the festival is a
thanksgiving ritual influenced by the
traditional Waray curacha dance. It is also
inspired by the townfolk’s agrarian way of
life with the street dances depicting the
various stages of the planting and harvest
seasons.
According to traditional accounts, fete traces
its origins during the arrival of the Spanish colonizers in the late 1500s, when they asked a native
about the name of the place. Thinking he was being asked about the nearby river and beach, the
local replied “ang suba kaynunuk nagabaybay sa Sta. Kudos” which literally means “the river is
meandering through the village of Sta. Cruz”.
The Spaniards were only able to pick up the word “baybay” thus they named the place as such.
The festivity also showcases Baybay’s strides in economy, environment, tourism and governance.

Binaybayon Festival is celebrated every 27th day of December and serves as the city’s
festival. This is being held in honor of their Patroness, Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.
Binaybayon Festival shows the rich history of the city and features their main livelihood.
Binaybayon Festival is located in Baybay City, Leyte. It is celebrated every 27th day of December
(the city fiesta) in honor of the Patroness of Baybay, Our Lady of Immaculate Conception for the
blessings that she gave every year. It also depicting the rich history of Baybay and also, showing
the main source of livelihood of most Baybayanons like fishing, farming and weaving.
Jorous Pita Declaro Grade 7 Ukelele
Mark Kenneth Gallego MAPEH 7

Sarakiki-Hadang Festival
Sarakiki is a local term apparently
referring to premeditated or frenzied
movements which means to allure, to
draw with, to attract or exercise
attraction, to entice, or to win. By its pre-
colonial denotation, it means to praise,
extol, or eulogize spirits of gods. The
word does not only ascribe to the ritual
or hadang as an activity to gratify the
gods, but likewise hadang as the offering or the sacrifice.

Sarakiki as a ritual dance per se is a dance-offering of the Warays to their deity or deities which
traces its roots to pre-colonial religious beliefs. Calbayognons held that spirits occupied a position
of command over the power of nature which may inflict harm or do good in society. Rituals to
please these spirits were held during feasts and other occasions like planting and harvest season,
drought and in times of dreadful epidemics. The ceremony could last a couple of days. It involved
the entire villagers who offered sacrifices to venerate the spirits. Traditionally, our forefathers
made use of patani ug ugis nga manok (black feather and white feather chicken) as the offering
in veneration of the spirits.

In the context of cultural development, the term Sarakiki is adapted to describe the significance
of the movements used in the famous dance “kuratsa”, a courtship dance eminent to all
Calbayognons. Today “kuratsa” is the most popular dance form consummated in all celebrations
most especially during wedding jovialities. Sarakiki is likewise place forth in songs, particularly
the SADA-SADA, an event of merriment in the evening before a wedding ceremony, which
redound to one of our most well-liked tradition, the so-called pamalaye or pamamanhikan.
Another confirmation is the thumbs-up form of the Calbayognons while dancing which represents
the tahud.