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ELIZABETH ESGUERRA CASTILLO

SongSoptok | 10/15/2015 |




In each country, there are different kinds of traditional festivals celebrated in some designated places. What’s the role of festival celebrations in our culture and society? Festivals are parts of each country’s culture for they symbolize the customs, traditions, and way of living of the people living in said areas.

One can discover the diverse personality traits of a nation’s citizenry, their distinct way of commemorating a certain special event which can set them apart from the others. Traditional festivals oftentimes showcase the importance of remembering a special occasion within a locality like for example the Feast Day of a saint wherein people pay homage or tribute to their patron saints by lavish food preparations, festivities which include different kinds of merriment and entertainment.

In the Philippines, being the pre-dominant Christian country in Asia, religious festivities abound and it can be witnessed in different provinces with some places considered as famous tourist destinations in the country. The locals get to prepare extravagantly and welcome people from both distant and nearby areas as their visitors.

The feasts here in our country originated from our Spanish ancestors with the term “fiesta” (feast) borrowed from the Spanish language as the Philippines was under Spanish colonial rule for hundreds of years. The festivals we celebrate are handed down to us by our ancestors from generation to generation and we continuously preserve these practices even these modern times.

In a study conducted by Ros Derett of Southern Cross University, Australia, he stated that regional festivals help foster and nourish community resilience. His thesis connotes that festivals permit people to reflect and determine a “sense of community and place.” These festivals symbolize their image and identity and thus contribute to cultural tourism. In the said regional or community celebrations, the locals are involved in shared experiences to their advantage which offers them both social function and signify symbolic connotations. Derret further contends that these regional festivals celebrate the community’s social identity, as well as its historical continuity, and cultural resiliency. Festivities within a locality offer a common ground for creativity, custom, heritage, and cultural practices for both the locals and their visitors.

[ELIZABETH ESGUERRA CASTILLO]


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