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The one unifying element amongst the geographical, historical and
cultural diversity of the Philippines is the fiesta. Described as
the most beloved institution in the country, fiesta is the embodiment
of everything held dear by the Filipino people - pageantry, drama,
humour, friendship, religious piety and earthy revelry.
The roots of the fiesta reach back to the early years of Spanish rule,
when the friars coaxed their converts within hearing distance of the
church bells with the pomp and ceremony of organized celebrations.
The Christian aspects of fiesta thinly veil ancient beliefs pagan
celebration were altered rather than outlawed, the dances and rituals
offered to saints, instead of heathen gods.
The three days frenzy of Ati-Atihan in Kalibo on the island of Panay
and the extreme of flagellation and crucifixion endured by penitents
at Holy Week in Manila, San Fernando and Antipolo, are among the more
exotic and famous of the fiestas. Passion plays are enacted around
Holy Week - the tale of the beheading of the Roman centurion
Longinus is one of the most popular.
There are festivals to invoke fertility, celebrate St John the Baptist
Day, honour Filipino heroes, commemorate famous battles, signal the
beginning of the kiteflying season and tribute to tribal customs.
There are street dances, boat procession, parades, and ecstatic crowds
throwing themselves into the rapture of celebrations.
Blessed and it often seems, condemned by nature, the Philippines is
a dramatic tapestry of awe-inspiring landscape and an irrepressible
people with an unrivalled zest for life. |
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