Surviving the Philippine Fiesta

If you are a foreigner visiting the Philippines, a good trip always consists of attending the "fiesta." The town "fiesta" or feast is a Philippine tradition for centuries and is celebrated in accordance to the commemoration of a Saint, like the Feast of St. Joseph every May 1st, or a momentous event for the town like the "Araw ng Pampanga" (Pampanga Day). The fiesta month in the Philippines is May because most of the fiestas fall on this Month and some towns or cities even celebrate their fiestas simultaneously. The word "feast" is taken seriously by Filipinos and becomes an understatement once you witness the amount of preparation that people go through to celebrate this event. Thus, there are some things you can expect from a Philippine fiesta. These can prepare you and help you survive the wonderful Philippine tradition of fiestas.

One characteristic of the "fiesta," is the vast array of food that is prepared. Every house you go to prepares food that is enough to feed an army of very hungry soldiers. The menu is complete from appetizer down to a lot of choices for dessert. It is also a quaint practice that a visitor or guest to the town fiesta has to eat in every house he goes to or else the master of the house takes offense. This is very overwhelming to a person who is not used to this kind of tradition, that is why a useful tip is not to eat too much at the first house you go to or else, you will not have room for the next 10 to 20 houses you have to visit. This does not mean that all the houses you go to necessarily belong to relatives or friends, because during the fiesta, you can go to any house and no one will stop you or accuse you of trespassing. This tradition only proves that Filipinos are very hospitable, because where else can a total stranger be welcomed to someone's home and be served food enough to fill him for the next couple of years.

After partaking in the sumptuous buffet, drinks could follow. And by drinks I do not mean, coffee or wine. The drinks that usually follow are liquors with very high alcohol content. If you go to Batangas, a province in the Philippines located somewhere in the South, the choice of drink is "lambanog." Lambanog is a clear liquid, almost like water, alcoholic drink that is known to have robbed a lot of men their sanity in their first shot. Lambanog is placed in a large glass jar that may contain 5 gallons, all of which will be consumed by the drinkers. If you are only used to beer, please do not attempt to drink more than 2 shots or else you could find yourself doing a performance worthy of a major concert on top of a table in front of a lot of amused guests. Saying no is definitely a challenge especially if you are taking a walk, every corner here you will see a table full of men drinking. And of course they will offer you a shot, remember they take offense if you refuse. At this point, one can feign sudden onset of fever or nausea.

After drinking coffee to get over the initial shock of the drinking session, it will be time to go to the town plaza. This is where the municipal hall is located and serves as the stage for the performances to follow. Sometimes also, the performances are done on the streets near the town plaza. In Cebu, the Ati- Atihan festival is most looked forward to. The Ati- Atihan depicts the Aetas who are said to be the first Filipinos. Since the Aetas are dark skinned and curly haired, the performers who dance the Ati- Atihan are painted in black and have colorful war paint on their faces. You will be extremely amused and impressed by the dancers and may find yourself grooving to the beat of the drums. Feel free to dance away, this will help you burn off all the sinful calorific foods that you have eaten.

There could also be a pageant to crown the town's most eligible bachelor and bachelorette. In Bulacan, the "Lakan" is the male winner of the pageant. The word "lakan" comes from the title used for men of royal ancestry or men of power in the ancient times. The "Lakambini" is the female winner of the pageant and as the literal meaning of the word means, she embodies every quality of a true Filipina- beautiful, conservative, family oriented and with good morals. This pageant is not only an avenue to showcase the beautiful men and women of the town, but it is also a way for them to show-off their intricately designed gowns and "barong tagalog." The "barong tagalog" is the traditional formal wear for men, usually made of pinya (pineapple) or jusi fabric. You will be amazed at the creativity and world-class talent of the Filipino designers once you see their creations paraded.

The highlight of the fiesta is always the "prusisyon" or procession. Since the fiesta is often celebrated for a Saint, by sun down, all the people would gather in the Church or Cathedral. This is part of the Catholic tradition of the Filipinos. The town priest will say mass so be ready to expect a big gathering. Filipinos are highly religious and most, if not all, people of the town would attend the mass. After the mass, the procession will start. You will see the religious images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Saints carved in wood or ivory atop a carriage like contraption. There are groups of people assigned to every carriage and it would be their responsibility to make that carriage fit for the sacred images to ride on. People would adorn these carriages with fresh flowers and even put colorful lights. You would be impressed with these carriages because each carriage would have a different theme and could tell a story by itself. If you are lucky enough to visit in May, there would also be a "Santacruzan." This depicts the journey of Queen Elena and her son Constantine in search of the cross. During the Santacruzan, the gorgeous men and women of the town will be marching together after the carriages. They would be walking under an arc adorned with flowers and beside them would be people carrying candles to light their way. The most gorgeous girl would be the "Reyna Elena."

These processions would go around the whole town, so be ready for a long walk. During the procession the elderly women of the town will lead the singing of the hymns and everyone participates. At this point, you will not feel tired because you will have a good time observing the people around you and walking with a big group of people makes one forget the thousands of kilometers your feet have traveled. It is during the procession one would feel the most overwhelmed. The ambience would be very spiritual yet enjoyable. This is where you would feel you are one with the Filipinos, having been immersed in a very intimate procession.

Indeed, once you have experienced the fiesta, every other celebration would seem to pale in comparison. Not only because of the extravagance of the whole occasion, but because of the unique Philippine experience. No matter how negative the image of the Philippines might be for people around the world, the tradition of the fiesta will make you entirely forget about the prejudices you may have. Once you leave the Philippines, the impression that would be left in your mind and heart is the beauty of the Philippines and it's people. You would have proven to yourself that Filipinos are indeed hospitable, sociable, friendly, beautiful, creative, unique, family- oriented, God fearing and most of all, united in their faith whether in times of plenty or drought. This would probably strike you the most, the ability of the Filipinos to accept foreigners without hesitation, with open arms and yes, without any hidden motive. It is innate in every Filipino no matter where they are to make people feel welcomed. Hopefully, next time you bump into a Filipino in your own country, you would also welcome him with the traditional Filipino warmth.