With its six component cities, 47 municipalities and 1,202 barangays, this island had preserved and served its place in the stage of prominence thanks to its majestic pageantry of culture, religion, tradition and history that underlie its numerous festivals and celebrations.
Since its “discovery” 485 years ago and its inception as a foremost trading post, modern Cebu has indeed become one of the country’s fastest-growing economies and the nation’s premier access to Visayas and
The spotlight of fame and recognition from neighboring regions and the world had already lit the previously mentioned festivals. But enough of them, Cebu has other festivals to be proud of due to its uniqueness and style. These festivals stemmed from either historical events, traditional dances, or religious devotion. People who come to witness them are awe-inspired of the displays of talent and they can’t even help coming back for more.
Banig Festival
The town of Badian, Cebu, famous for its mat quality and quantity, celebrates its fiesta every July with special events that highlight the people’s culture, traditions, and products. Among the feature activities are wiris-wiris (sketch contest), market encounter/forum, and banig (grass mat) costume dance parade.
Kabkaban Festival
Noted for its old Spanish style houses that abound its quiet countryside setting, Carcar celebrates the Kabkaban festival every November 24-25 in honor of patron, St. Catherine of Alexandria. The residents invite friends, relatives and town visitors into their home to taste local delicacies during the fiesta.
Nuestra Señor De Regla Fiesta
Held to honor the patroness of Opon, Lapu-Lapu City every 20th and 21st of November, this religious and social event reveals the deep faith of the people and the penchant for merry-making as food fairs, carnivals, procession and coronation of the Fiesta Queen highlight the festivity.
Semana Santa sa Bantayan
It is a unique mixture of solemn religious rite and open-door local celebration, which highlight the Holy Week in Bantayan Island. Relatives and friends as well as tourists visit the quiet island to experience the solemn rites and to cool off the summer heat on its beautiful white sandy beaches and clean tropical waters.
Sugat sa Minglanilla
One of the best-known crowd-luring Christian Lenten rites in Central Visayas is the annual Easter Sunday pageant called Sugat (Cebuano for encounter). It is held in the town of Minglanilla, a few kilometers south of Cebu City. The celebration is an elaborate production that depicts the meeting between the risen Christ and his grieving mother. It features children as angels, who are slowly slid down via invisible wires of a pulley system from the church entrance to the altar.
Tagbo
Poro of Camotes Island traces its roots thru a majestic festival of pageantry. The municipality had its beginning in the village of Tagbo which also refers to a unique dance ritual celebrated every 18th and 19th of January in honor of its patron, Santo Niño de Poro.
Tres de Abril Celebration
Celebrated every third of April in commemoration of an early Filipino resistance in the south, this historic battle, under Leon Kilat’s leadership, gave Cebu the glory of being the first major island outside Luzon to oppose Spanish dominance in the 19th century.
Moreover, these are just a few that manifest what Cebu has. But what makes its worth echoing to the rest of the country and ultimately to the world is not only the feature events of the festivals but much more than that is the people within –the Cebuanos. For without their urge to experience a yearly recollection of history and tradition, for without their endeavor to unite and gather in one place, these celebrations would have not been brought to the stage to make their moves just to prove their worth to grab the spotlight.
And Cebu is more than up to it.
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