IMUS CITY, Cavite – Philippine festivals are celebrations to express gratitude for a good harvest or in honor of the town’s patron saint.
But Cavite province offers an array of festivals entwined with cultural significance, traditional activities and in celebration of their glorious historical past.
Cavite’s tourism and cultural offices share with tourists and visitors alike a plethora of festivals this May, where people can experience first-hand exciting adventures spread through most of the province’s historical and centuries-old towns and cities.
If one longs to escape the daily hustle of the metropolis, drive down to Naic town and experience the ‘probinsya’ (province) and rustic atmosphere with their ‘Bihisaka’ Festival on May 15.
A fiesta in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the patron of farmers, Naic folks dress up their carabaos and other farm animals for a parade around town as a way of thanksgiving.
The 1st class municipality, located just 47 kilometers from Manila, is one of Cavite’s agricultural towns and teems with beaches for fishing and recreational areas.
Another festival is the “Wagayway” Festival, celebrated each year to commemorate the first ever waving of the Philippine official flag to commemorate the triumph of the Cavite revolutionaries during the Battle of Alapan.
Imus City holds the “Wagayway (wave) Festival” on May 28, during which, city folks wave the flaglets en masse to symbolize the courage and triumph of Filipinos who risked their lives during the Battle of Alapan.
This festival, initially launched in 2008, is marked with thanksgiving mass, family day festivities and other activities geared to highlight the colors of the Philippine Flag.
May 28 is also the commemoration of the National Flag Day observed nationwide and marks the salvo for a series of “Kalayaan” (freedom) activities leading to the country’s celebration of Independence Day on June 12.
Located at the southern shores of Manila Bay, Cavite is one of the country’s oldest provinces which served as a center stage of the 1896 Revolutionary Period leading to the proclamation of the Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898.
It is the hometown of famous revolutionaries, including the country’s First President General Emilio Aguinaldo.(Gladys Pino/PNA)