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List of Cebu Festivals by:

http://www.etravelpilipinas.com/events_festivals/cebu_festival.htm

Sinulog Festival

3rd Sunday of January (CebuCity)

People shouts “Viva Pit Señor”. The Sinulog isCebuCity’s most popular and grandest festival. It is celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January in honor of the Señor Sto. Niño. Foreign and local tourists flock toCebuCityfor this celebration and join in the procession and the grand mardi gras. The Sinulog is a dance-prayer expressing devotion to the Holy Child. it is popular belief among Cebuanos that this dance-prayer is the most effective way of getting favors from the Sto. Niño. This festival is world-renowed and the most extravagant festival inCebu. The Sinulog festival is celebrated in honour of the holy child Senior Santo Niño. The highlights in this festivities is the street dancing where merrymakers dance to the beat of the pit senor drums.

Tagbo Festival

19th of January (Poro,CamotesIsland)

It is celebrated every January in honor of patron Sto. Niño de Poro. Beloved memoir of a living past, Tagbo is the corner stone from which this great municipality has sprung. Rich in cultural heritage and deep in spiritual values, Tagbo is a very significant event precluding the birth of a town very dear to the hearts of her sons and daughters.

Silmugi Festival

20th of January (Borbon)

“Silmugi” is an old name of the town ofBorbonand the festival is in honor of its patron saint for the bountiful harvest. The street dancing which is one of the highlights is participated in by the different barangays.

Bodbod Festival

10th Of February (Catmon)

The town ofCatmonis famous for its tasty “bodbod” and thus is the focus of the festival. The street dancing competition is participated by the different barangays has its dance movements, the movement of making the bodbod with the costumes in bodbod concept.

Kabayo Festival

February – Movable (MandaueCity)

Organized by the Cebu Equine Owners, Breeders and Sportsmen Association (CEOBSA), the Kabayo festival is supported by the DOT. The festival promotes sports tourism, ecotourism and agri-industrial tourism awareness in the country. The highlights include the parade of horses, horse racing competition and the best decorated “tartanillas” or horse drawn carriages and features a bazaar and flea market.

Sarok festival

14th of February (Consolacion)

The festival is part of the town’s commemoration of their founding anniversary. It is a mardi gras parade and street dancing along the main thoroughfares with participants using a creative design of “sarok”, a native hat used by the farmers to protect them from the heat of the sun.

Soli-Soli Festival

18th March (San Francisco,CamotesIsland)

named after the soli-soli plant which abounds around thelakeDanaowhich is used for mat, bags and hat weaving and other handicrafts. its freestyle street dancing competition uses soli-soli plant as its dominant material. The festival adds color to the feast ofSt. Josephthe Worker.

Tostado Festival

3rd Sunday of April (Santander)

The festival focuses on the town’s famous delicacy, the “tostado”. The street dancing which is the highlight of the festivity uses the different movements of making tostado in the dance participated in by the different barangays.

Haladaya Festival

Easter Sunday (Daan Bantayan)

Starts on Easter Sunday and ends with a street dancing on the seventh day after Easter. Haladaya means “Halad kang Datu Day”, the leader of the first Malayan settlers in Daan bantayan. Highlights include the fluvial aprade where patron saints of the different barangays will be placed in decorated bancas or motorized outrigger boats and paraded in the sea.

Kabanhawan Festival

Easter Sunday (Minglanilla)

Showcases the “Sugat” in which the town is known for many years since. The street dancing depicts the joy felt by the believers when Christ is resurrected. The celebration is grander since it will be followed by a day long games and entertainment that highlights the endowment of Minglanilla’s history, trade and arts.

Bahug-bahug sa Mactan or Kadaugan sa Mactan

22nd – 27th of April (Lapu-LapuCity)

A weeklong commemoration of the historic battle of Mactan between the Spanish Conquestador Fernando Magallanes and Mactan Chieftain Lapu-Lapu. The festival features various activities highlighted by the series of musical productions culminating with the famous battle, food street and live band entertainment.

Mantawi Festival

7th of May (MandaueCity)

A showcase of the city’s historical heritage and identity promoting the city as an industrial and tourist hub, that involves the Spanish regime through street dancing, dioramas, floats, food festival, trade fair and sports event.

Tartanilla Festival

12th of June (CebuCity)

The Tartanilla Festival isCebuCity’s way of preserving the tartanilla (horse-drawn carriage) heritage by reviving the oldest mode of transportation to ply some of the city’s streets. The festival coincides with the city’s celebration of the country’s Independence Day starting from June 1 to 12. gaily decorated tartanillas driven by kutseros ply the streets of some of the city’s barangays and compete for several awards.

Camotes Cassava Festival

2nd week of June (Tudela,CamotesIsland)

A yearly celebration of a bountiful harvest where farmers display their various cassava-based products, share their varied technical experiences in producing and processing cassava products. Among the activities are the Best Booth Contest, Poster-making Contest, search for new cassava food products, cultural night and the search for Miss Camotes Tourism.

Palawod Festival

Last week of June (Bantayan,BantayanIsland)

Palawod is the fishermen’s daily toil, their means of livelihood, their life and pride. The street dancing captures and preserves the Bantayanon’s unique traditional fishing rituals inherent to the island through dancing, music and the visual arts.

Semana Santa sa Bantayan

Holy Thursday and Good Friday (Bantayan,BantayanIsland)

Also known as “Pasko sa Kasakit” Celebrated in Holy Thursday and Good Friday. This is celebrated in the observance of the Holy Week onBantayanIslandwith procession and merry making.

Kinsan Festival

June – Movable (Aloguinsan)

Kinsan is the name of the town’s favorite fish that abounds in the town’s coastal area every June. It is relatively big fish, with a foot-long kinsan, weighing about three kilos considered small.

Kuyayang Festival

June – Movable (BogoCity)

Kuyayang refers to the dance movements conveying courtship and love characterized by the Bagohanon’s cariñoso character. Kuyayang mardi gras as a cultural tourism festival manifests the cultural heritage of Bogo as a place and avenue for cultural conservancy program of the city.

Caballo Festival

25th of July (Compostela)

A streetdancing competition that honor’s the town’s patron saint, Señor Santiago de Apostol. History retells of a war between Christians and Muslims where the townsfolk saw and was saved by a miraculous apparition of a man riding a horse and later became known as the town’s patron saint.

Dinagat Bakasi festival

2nd week of August (Cordova)

It is a unique reinvention of the Dinagat Festival. The exotic eel locally known as “bakasi” is peculiar and abundant in Cordova. The dance replicates the gliding movement of the bakasi.

Bonga festival

9th of August (Sibonga)

Celebrated in honor of the town’s patron saint, Our Lady of Pilar and Santa Filomena. Among its highlights is the street dancing and ritual/showdown competition. “Bunga” is a Cebuano word which means fruit in English. This festival is a thanksgiving for all the blessings and graces the Sibongahalnons have received for the abundant fruits found in their town.

Siloy Festival

Last Saturday of August (Alcoy)

The festival promotes the Mag-abo forest with its famous Black Shama or Siloy, the town’s scenic white sand beaches and dive spots and in honor of the town’s patroness Saint Rose ofLima.

Kabuhian Festival

3rd Sunday of September (Ronda)

Celebrated during the town’s fiesta that features activities like trade fair, livelihood forum and a street dancing competition participated in by the different barangays with the dance movements depicting the various livelihood program of the town.

Karansa Festival

3rd Sunday of September (DanaoCity)

The Karansa is a dance expressing one’s joy and happiness performed in four basic steps: The kiay, karag, kurug and kurahay that jibes with the Karansa official beat. It is celebrated during the city’s annual fiesta in honor of their patron saint, Sto. Tomas de Villanueva.

Pitlagong Festival

26th of September (Argao)

Argao’s tribute to the tradition of townsfgolk faith, celebrations, food, work, livelihood, arts and crafts. Pitlagong is an instrument for cleaning the “sugong” which is a bamboo container for coconut wine of “tuba” which is very important to the taste and quality of the tuba.

Sinanggiyaw Festival

4th of October (Dumanjug)

Sinanggi-yaw is taken from two old Cebuano words, Sinanggi meaning abundance of harvested agricultural products of the local farmers and Sayaw meaning dance. Through street dancing and field presentation. Performers is focused on three aspects: planting, harvesting and thanksgiving.

Inasal (Halad) Festival

14th – 15th of October (TalisayCity)

A showcase ofTalisayCity’s historical heritage and identity promoting the city as an aqua and tourist hub, through street dancing as a thanksgiving offering to the city’s patroness, Sta. Teresa de Avila. Sports fest, paradeof the great personages as higantes, food festival featuring the famous “inasal” or lechon, Talisay’s roast pig being the undisputable best – golden brown, crackling crispy skin, tasty meat from secret stuffed herbs.

Kabkaban Festival

4th week of November (CarcarCity)

The festival is in conjunction with the fiest of St. Catherine ofAlexandria, the town’s patron saint. It is a cultural catalogue of the town’s historical past. Among the highlights of the festival which was named after Carcar’s old name Kabkab which is a kind of fern, is the street dancing and parade.

Kawayan Festival

2nd of December (Alegria)

“Kawayan” is the vernacular term for bamboo and is the major source of livelihood/income in Alegria. The street dancing competition is based on the kawayan and is slated during the town’s fiesta in honor of Saint Francis Javier.

Sadsad Festival

8th of December (Oslob)

In celebration of the town’s annual fiesta, “sadsad” is a form of merrymaking and thanksgiving for the blessings received for the past year from the town’s patroness, the Immaculate Conception.

Tag-anitohan festival

8th – 9th of December (Tudela, Camotes)

The festival is a street dancing and ritual contest participated by the community. It is history retold of the richness of the town’s origin from immortals to the time of Christianization until it was separated from its mother town ofPoroin the year 1911.

Pasyon sa Mandaue

Good Friday to Easter Sunday (MandaueCity)

This is a re-enactment of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Fiesta sa Mandaue

May 8 – Week Long Festival (MandaueCity)

This is a week long fiesta celebration. The festival will starts May 8. The fiesta is celebrated in honour of Manduae’s Patron Saint,St. Joseph.

Feast of Santa Filomena

Celebrated in the First week of August in Tingo,OlangoIsland.

Tagbo Poro Festival

Celebrated every January in honor of Patron Santo Niño de
Poro inCamotesIsland. Tagbo is the cornerstone from which this great municipality has sprung.

Banig Festival

Fiesta celebrated in Badian Cebu in the Month of July.

 SINULOG 2012

The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most distinguished festivals in the

Philippines. The major festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu

City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the

whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is

fundamentally a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and

their recognition of Christianity.

The festival features some the country’s most colourful displays of ceremony and

pageantry: participants clothe in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of

drums and native gongs. The streets are generally lined with vendors and pedestrians

all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held

in different parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is

also a Sinulog sa Kabataan, which is performed by the youths of Cebu a week before

the Grand Parade.

The Festival

The celebration traditionally lasts for nine days, ending on the ninth day when the

Sinulog Grand Parade reveals. The day before the parade, the Fluvial Procession, a

water-parade, held at dawn from the Mandaue City wharf to Cebu City wharf with the

Santo Niño carried on a pump boat decorated with hundreds of flowers and candles.

The procession ends at the Basilica where a re-enactment of the Christianizing of

Cebu follows. In the afternoon, a more formal procession takes place along the major

streets of the city, which last for hours due to large crowd participating in the religious

event.

On the feast day, at the Basilica, a Pontifical Mass is held, given by the Cardinal with

the assistance of several bishops of Cebu. The majority of the city’s population and

devotees would flock to the Basilica to attend the mass before heading out to the

streets to watch the Parade.

Background

‘Sinulog’ comes from the Cebuano adverb sulog which is “like water current

movement,” which proficiently describes the forward-backward movement of the

Sinulog dance. Traditionally, the dance consists of two steps forward and one step

backward, done to the sound of the drums. The dance is classified into Sinulog-base,

Free-Interpretation, and recently a Latin Category, which most people have argued

that it had nothing to do with Sinulog tradition. Candle vendors at the Basilica continue

to perform the traditional version of the dance when lighting a candle for the customer,

usually accompanied by songs in the native language.

SINULOG

Sinulog 2012 Schedule of Activities
(Fuente Osmena, January 2-31, 2012)
________________________________________
Dec 01 – Jan 31, 2012 Sinulog Street Fair, Osmeña Blvd.
December 11, 2011 Sinulog Poster Making Contest @ Emall
December 15, 2011 Sinulog Photo Exhibits @SM City
________________________________________
January 05, 2012 (Thursday) Opening Salvo: Walk with Jesus
4:00 AM Assembly Time (Area) Fuente Osmeña
4:30 AM Start of Walk-Fuente Osmeña Blvd. – Basilica del Sto. Niño
5:30 AM Installation of Hermano & Hermana Mayores 2012
________________________________________
January 06, 2012 (Friday) Sinulog 2012 Kick Off
Sinulog Photo Exhibits through the years @SM City Cebu, Ayala Center Cebu,

MCIAA
2:00PM Solemn Mass (Basilica del Sto. Niño)
3:00 PM Launching Parade (Basilica del Sto. Niño to Cebu City Sports Center)
7:00 PM Opening and Launching Program, Fuente Osmeña featuring Mandaue City

Children’s Choir, Dancesports Team Cebu and Dance Troupes from Cebu’s schools

and universities
8:00 PM Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle)
9:00 PM Streen Party Bands
________________________________________
January 7, 2012 (Saturday) Sinulog sa Kabataan – Lalawigan
1:00 PM Parade of Participants, Capitol Site to Cebu City Sports Center
2:00 PM Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan, Cebu City Sports Center
4:30 PM Awarding of Winners
6:30 PM Cultural Show (Fuente Osmeña)
8:00 PM Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle)
9:00 PM Concert @ the Fuente O , Street Party Bands
________________________________________
January 8, 2012 (Sunday) Sinulog sa Kabataan- Dakbayan
4:00 AM Cebu City 2012 Marathon – www.cebumarathon.com 1:00 PM

Parade of Participants, Plaza Independencia to Cebu City Sports Center
2:00 PM Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan, Cebu City Sports Center
4:30 PM Awarding of Winners
6:30 PM Cultural Show (Fuente Osmeña)
8:00 PM Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle)
9:00 PM Concert @ the Fuente O, Street Party Bands
________________________________________
January 9, 2012 (Monday)
6:30 PM Cultural Show (Fuente Osmeña)
8:00 PM Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle)
9:00 PM Concert @ the Fuente O , Street Party Bands
________________________________________
January 10, 2012 (Tuesday)
6:30 PM Cultural show (Fuente Osmeña)
8:00 PM Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle)
9:00 PM Concert @ the Fuente O , Street Party Bands
________________________________________
January 11, 2012 (Wednesday)
9:00 AM Airport Welcome (Balikbayan Flights)
6:30 PM Cultural Shows (Fuente Osmeña)
7:00 PM Ms. Cebu 2012 Coronation Night, Waterfront Lahug Hotel
8:00 PM Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle)
9:00 PM Concert @ the Fuente O , Street Party Bands
________________________________________
January 12, 2012 (Thursday)
9:00 AM Airport Welcome (Balikbayan Flights)
6:30 PM Cultural Shows (Fuente Osmeña)
6:00 PM Balik Cebu, Welcome Party @ Ayala Center Cebu
8:00 PM Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle)
8:00 PM Handumanan @ Ayala Terraces
9:00 PM Concert @ the Fuente O , Street Party Bands
________________________________________
January 13, 2012 (Friday) Visual Merchandising Contest
(Dept. Stores and Malls)
4:00 AM Walk with Mary (Area) Fuente Osmeña-Sto. Niño
7:00 AM Misa de Translacion (Motorcade)
9:00 AM Solidarity Meeting (All Competing Contingent /
Floats / Higante / Puppteers) @ Cebu City Sports Center Gym
6:30 PM Cultural Shows (Fuente Osmeña)
7:30 P.M Cebu Popular Music Festival, Cebu Coliseum
7:30 P.M Sinulog Festival Queen 2012, Cebu City Sports Center
8:00 PM Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle)
9:00 PM Concert @ the Fuente O , Street Party Bands
________________________________________
January 14, 2012 (Saturday)
6:00 AM Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Niño
9:00 AM Re-enactment of the Baptism of Queen Juana and Rajah Humabon Basilica

del Sto. Niño
2:00 PM Solemn Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Niño
7:00 PM Sinulog Fireworks Competition @ SM City Cebu
7:00 PM Street party @ Fuente Osmeña and Plaza Independencia
8:00 PM Gala – Passionata a Cultural Heritage Celebration in Honor of Sto. Niño de

Cebu @ SM Cinema I
8:00 PM Kasadya Nite Mardi Gras @ Ayala Center Cebu
8:00 PM Handumanan Concert, USP-F Theater for the Performing Arts
________________________________________
January 15, 2012 (Sunday) SINULOG GRAND PARADE
4:00 AM Mañanita Mass @Basilica del Sto. Niño
6:00 AM Pontifical mass with His Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal
9:00 AM Sinulog Grand Parade Carousel Kick Off
7:00 PM Grand Fireworks, Cebu City Sports Center
7:30 PM Street Party Bands, Fuente Osmeña
________________________________________
January 16, 2012 (Monday)
1:00 PM Awarding Ceremonies, Cebu City Sports Center
________________________________________
January 20, 2012 (Friday) “HUBO”
4:00 AM “HUBO Mass” Ritual @ Basilica del Sto. Niño
________________________________________
January 28, 2012 (Saturday)
1:00 P.M Screening of Finaslists Short Film/Video Documentary Contest
6:00 P.M Awarding Ceremonies Photo Contest and Video Documentary Contest @SM

City Cebu
1st Sinulat Awards, Sinulog Literary Awards for Short Story Writing, Poetry, and Essay

Writing @ SM City Cebu
________________________________________
January 30 – Feb. 10, 2012 Photo Exhibits “Winning Photos Sinulog ‘10 @SM City

Cebu

SIMBANG GABI DECEMBER 16 TO THE 24TH

Simbáng Gabi is a devotional nine-day series of Masses practised by Roman Catholics and Aglipayans in the Philippines in anticipation of Christmas. Simbáng Gabi, which translates to Night Mass, is held from December 16 to December 24 and is usually done as early as 4 or 5 o’ clock in the morning. On the last day of the Simbang Gabi, which is Christmas Eve, it is called Misa de Gallo, which literally translates to “Rooster’s Mass”.

The Simbang Gabi originated in the early days of Spanish rule as a practical compromise for farmers who started their day before sunrise to avoid the heat in the fields. Priests began to say Mass in the early mornings instead of the evening novenas more common in the rest of the Hispanic world. This cherished Christmas custom eventually became a distinct feature of Philippine culture and is a symbol of sharing.

During the Spanish and early American periods the parishioners would mostly have nothing to offer at the Mass except sacks of rice, fruits and vegetables and fresh eggs. These were graciously accepted by the priests, who besides keeping a portion for themselves, would share the produce in with the rest of the parishioners after the service.

Today, local delicacies are readily available in the church’s premises for the parishioners. The iconic puto bumbong, bibingka, suman and other rice pastries are cooked on the spot. Latik and yema are sweets sold to children, while biscuits like uraro, barquillos, lengua de gato and otap are also available. Kape Barako, a very strong coffee grown in the province of Batangas), hot tsokolate, or salabat (a tisane of ginger) are the main drinks. Arróz caldo (rice and chicken porridge), soups and papait (goat bile stew found in the Ilocos region) soups abound.

The rice-based foods were traditionally served to fill the stomachs of the farmers and since rice is a cheap and primary staple. The pastries were full of carbohydrates needed for the back-breaking forced work in the rice paddies and azucareras that the natives suffered under the colonisers.