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Filipinos are known to be hospitable and friendly individuals. Here are some of the Fiestas all over the country that will truly make you smile. 

Quiapo Church

   

      Quiapo Church houses the life-size statue of the Black Nazarene (Jesus Christ). Every year on the 9th of January, devotees flock around Quiapo Church to take part in the celebration of Feast of the Black Nazarene, as it inches across the streets packed with devotees around Quiapo Church. They are hoping to touch the rope that is use to pull the float of Nazarene to its destination. Devotees attribute many miracles to this 400 year old image which was brought to the Philippines from Mexico in the 7th century. Once you have touched the rope, or you have the towel touched by the saint this can cure your illness as believed by the devotees.

        Aside from the feast, many people go to the church not just to pray but to find cure for their impurities and others use this to earn a living. Outside the church there are varieties of vendors selling different items. Some people sell religious items such as rosaries, novena booklets, images and blessed crucifixes. Some are selling colored candles and herbs for different purposes. These colored candles serve as identification for different wishes one may want, like wealth, success, love, health and others. Herbs for gayuma or black magic and some for abortion are also available here. Fortune tellers can be found here who use tarot cards and playing cards to tell the future.  And some sell amulet, this is said to give protection to the one who wears it or some special powers, and warding off bad luck and bad spirits.

        These are manifestations of a strong Catholicism and a mass –market consumerism that identify us as Filipinos.

Sinulog

Do you want to hear people shouting "pit señor"?

Try to visit Cebu City, located at the center of the Visayan peninsula. It highlights the festivity of Sinulog or Graceful dance in English. It commemorates the taking of the natives of Christianity.

Originally, on April 7, 1951 Magellan - the Portuguese Explorer came to the Philippines and gave a wooden Santo Niño or little Jesus to the wife of Rajah Humabon (Chieftain of Cebu that time), Harah Amihan as a baptismal gift. Shortly thereafter, on April 21, 1951 he fought the reigning ruler of Mactan, Rajah Lapu-lapu and died.

With the colonization of the Spaniards for 300 years of the Philippines, Christianity became the major religion in the country. By then the yearly festival was conceptualized to honor Santo Niño which is now commonly called Sinulog.

Sinulog is a dance ritual in honor of the miraculous image of the Santo Nino. The dance moves to the sound of the drums and this resembles the current (Sinulog) of what was then known as Cebu’s Pahina River.

Too often, it was mistaken for Aklan’s Ati-Atihan, complete with painted faces and war-like, martial beat. Now this festivity features in its parade seven floats to depict the history of Christianity in Cebu. See you there.

The Giant Lantern Festival

Every December one place in the Philippines shines the brightest. In the City of San Fernando in Pampanga is a sight to catch because of the big lanterns being displayed. Few of these are in for competition as they compete with one other on which lantern is the best.

The origin of Giant Lantern Festival is simple, before during the 9 nine days simbang gabi (December 16-24), residents of every barangay in San Fernando bring small lanterns on their way to the church to light their way. Few years later, the small lanterns evolved to big lanterns as the people from the barangay tend to compete with each other.

Pampanga resident’s creativity in lantern making gradually developed. The mix of colored plastic, bulbs, and metals produced many lanterns. These lanterns exhibit interplay of bright colors in different designs.