Although only five
contingents are joining the parade and ritual presentations on June 27, some of
them were champions in previous competitions.
Joining this year’s
festivals are the Tribu Buraburon of Burauen, Leyte; Heraite of Leyte, Leyte;
Sanggutan of Barugo, Leyte; Tribu Pasaka of Tanauan, Leyte; and Solosogui of
Balangiga, Eastern Samar.
Tribu Buraburon was
last year’s grand champion of Pintados-Kasadyaan and the winner of Aliwan
Fiesta 2018 in Pasay City.
Groups from the towns
of Tanauan and Barugo were champions in the past province-wide competition.
Palo, Leyte Mayor
Remedios Petilla, Pintados- Kasadyaan Festival executive committee chairperson,
said some local government officials backed out of the contest due to budget
constraints and lack of preparations.
“All contingents
wanted to win. They don’t want to join the festival if they’re not
well-prepared. For this year, dancers from these five festivals are ready to
awe spectators,” Petilla told reporters during a press briefing at the RTR
Plaza Friday afternoon.
The official is
optimistic that showcasing local festivals is an effective way to attract
tourists as it presents local culture and history through ritual dance, music,
and merry-making.
“Towns with much
improved festivals attract visitors during fiesta. People who are in Manila and
abroad are proud of their festivals and share photos in their social media
accounts,” Petilla said.
Now on its 23rd year,
the Leyte Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals brings together the diverse, vibrant
and colorful festivals from the different towns in the province of Leyte and
other participating festivals from its sister islands of Samar and Biliran, as
well as other provinces in the Visayas.
It is one of the most
awaited events of Tacloban City’s fiesta celebrations this month in honor of
its patron, the Señor Sto. Niño de Tacloban.
Leyte’s festivals
have brought fame and fortune to various champions, among them the Buyogan
Festival of Abuyog, Burauen’s Buraburon, Tanauan’s Pasaka Festival and
Lingganay Festival of Alang-alang, having bested other festivals in the country
and emerged as champions in such prominent festivals as Sinulog of Cebu and the
annual national Aliwan Fiesta - Battle of Festival champions in Manila.
On the other hand,
the Pintados Festival was first celebrated on June 29, 1987 when a group of
businessmen belonging to the Pintados Foundation, Inc. came up with this event
to showcase Leyte and Samar’s early tattooed inhabitants called Pintados, and
their rich cultural heritage and indigenous music and dance.
For Pintados, seven
contingents are joining the smaller festival, mostly from this city and nearby
towns.
In 1998, the Pintados and
the Leyte Kasadyaan were merged into one big attraction called the
Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals. (SQM/PNA)
No comments:
Post a Comment