The Dinagyang Festival is an elaborate cultural and religious celebration that features dramatic dances by dancers adorned in spectacular body art and colorful costumes, in the decorated streets and venues of Iloilo City. The festival, which is observed every fourth weekend of the month of January tells the captivating story of a merger between the rich cultural history and deep-rooted Catholic faith of the Filipino people. Its venue, Iloilo City, is popularly known as the City of Love, appropriately so named considering the gentle and welcoming nature of its inhabitants, the Ilonggo people. This religious and cultural festival is a key annual highlight for this popular tourist spot in Philippines that everyone is diverted from their normal everyday activities from the school children to the City’s administration.
Video Credit: Youtube by Lagaw Kita
Origins of the Festival
The name Dinagyang, loosely translated to mean merry making, was given to this festival by an Ilonggo native of Iloilo Pacifico Sumagpao Sudario who was a writer and radio broadcaster. The festival has its beginnings in the devotion to Santo Niño (the Child Jesus) introduced by a Filipino Rector of the Augustinian Community who was the priest of San Jose parish and in celebrations performed by the local people when they received an image of the Santo Niño in 1968. The image was donated as a gift by Father Suplicio Ebderes of Cebu to the parish of San Jose. The festival also celebrates the Aeta people who welcomed the Malay to the Panay Island of the Philippines.
Celebrations
Dinagyang celebrations are a colorful affair that consists of festivities, tribal warrior competitions and cultural competitions. As time goes by, more and more people are becoming aware of this celebration. The locals would always tell you Hala Bira! Dinagyang Kita! (meaning pour/dispense all means of merry-making). The main attraction of the event is the cultural dances where the dancers adorn themselves in body paint, markings and colorful costumes. The dances are very lively, with the dancers methodically and vigorously swaying their bodies to reverberating drum beats. The cultural dancing competition is a very impressive affair where different groups show off their complicated routines in wonderful formations. Groups organize themselves into tribes of warrior dancers. Competition among these tribes is a serious affair that attracts many entrants and has gained international recognition. Partly, the festival has marked Philippines in the globe alongside various tourist spots within. For one who would love to feel and enjoy the day, you may wear your own tribal costume and dance along the streets to the tune of a very unique and enticing drum beats. To add more colors to your costume, others would paint their faces using Non-toxic, Water-activated Face Paint with Glitters.
Iloilo City
Iloilo City is best known for hosting the Dinagyang festival. It has many other features and attractions that make it a tourist spot in the Philippines in its own right. The Spanish colonial churches that dot the city are a historical relish for lovers of historical religious sights. The city has various other heritage monuments and museums. The people of Iloilo, famously known for their welcoming, hospitable nature are always ready to serve you one of their popular Ilonggo dishes with the fresh sea food being very popular among visitors. The city has the best shopping facilities in the district with a vibrant night life offered by the range of nightclubs, bars and hotels to cater for different tastes and budgets. Many people love the relaxed, calm atmosphere of Iloilo which you can enjoy by taking a leisurely walk along the promenade of the Iloilo River which makes for a very relaxing mood.
Conclusion
Dinagyang Festival is not just a preserve of the beautiful Iloilo City, but an important religious and cultural festival of the Philippines; it is a grand event that is a spectacle to behold where the entire city comes together in joyous celebration.
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