Tara na’t magsaya! (Let’s have fun!)

This May, we celebrate National Heritage Month, and as part of our commitment to promoting this, we present to you the Philippine Festivals. May being the peak of the summer season in the Philippines has the abundance of festivals in the country, as people flock from one town or province to the other to join in the unique devotions, and events that each community offers.

Flores de Mayo/Santacruzan

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Flores de Mayo, literally translating to “Flowers of May,” is a month-long cultural and religious flower-offering celebration to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The celebration is mostly an influence of the Spaniards to the Philippines where children are taught of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Flores de Mayo concludes through a procession where different images of the Virgin Mary, and children with flower offerings parade around their town which is sometimes coupled with the recitation of the Holy Rosary. The month of May is also famous for the Santacruzan which honours Queen Helena of Constantinople’s (or Reyna Elena as locally known) finding of the True Cross, which is said to be the cross where Jesus Christ had been crucified.

Pahiyas Festival

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A well-known summer festival in the Philippines celebrated in Quezon Province, Pahiyas is celebrated in honor of San Isidro Labrador or St. Isidore the Laborer, the patron saint of farmers, as thanksgiving for the year’s bountiful harvest. The people adorn their houses colorfully with vegetables, fruits, and kiping or colored rice wafers.

Obando Festival

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Held for three consecutive days, people who flock to the Obando Festival are usually visited by couples to perform the fertility dance. The festival is celebrated in honor of St. Paschal (May 17) for couples who want a male child, St. Claire (May 18) for couples who want a female child, and the Our Lady of Salambaw (May 19) as the patroness of fishermen, where she is venerated as the patron for good harvest and fishing.

Magayon Festival

Directly translated as “beautiful” from its local name, the Magayon Festival is, in essence, a celebration of the people of Albay’s life, and a thanksgiving for the rich harvests in the province. The festival is celebrated all throughout the month of May which features exhibits, street parades, and more. The main highlight of this year’s festivities is the focus on Faith Tourism of the festival; per the province’s governor, this religious aspect of the festival will emphasize that the destination is not limited to the commercial ways of entertaining people, but also in a deeper sense.

Abaca Festival

Largely celebrated in Catanduanes, the Abaca Festival is to acknowledge the province as the top Abaca fiber producer in the Philippines, along with the resilience of the people especially as the province is one of the typhoon passages of the country. Happening on May 27 to 31, 2024, the Abaca Festival highlights include street dancing, trade fair, and a float parade, among others