The Dinagyang Festival is an annual
celebration held in Iloilo City every fourth weekend of January; although
relevant activities already start even during the first week of the month. This
cultural and religious festival is held in honor of the Sto. Niño but is also a
celebration of the arrival of the Malay settlers in Panay.
The festival began as a small celebration
when a replica of the image of the Santo Niño de Cebu was brought to Iloilo as
a gift to the Parish of San Jose by Fr. Sulpicio Enderez after the parish was
introduced to the devotion of the Child Jesus by Rev. Fr. Ambrosio Galindez in
1967. Overjoyed by the gift, the parishioners welcomed the Sto. Niño’s arrival
with parade and festivities. What began as a small celebration in the parish
soon grew into a city-wide event that attracts scores of tourists to the city
every year.
The Dinagyang Festival is patterned after
the Ati-Atihan Festival of Aklan, complete with people dancing to the drum
beats while covered with ashes and soot to simulate native Atis. Still, some
modifications were also made, including the introduction the carousel
performance wherein different judging areas are created so that participants
from competing tribes can show a simultaneous performance.
It is also in Dinagyang that the first festival
mascot, Dagoy, was introduced in the Philippines. Also, the festival has given
rise to the unique Dinagyang pipes which are made ingeniously from PVC pipes
plus the mobile risers which add depth to the dance and now a prominent feature
of Dinagyang choreography.
For 2014, 13 tribes are expected to
participate in the Kasadyahan Competition and another 12 will join the Ati-Ati Contest.
Dinagyang
Festival 2014 Schedule and Highlights
January
5, 2014 (Sunday) and January 10, 2014 (Friday)
- Miss Dinagyang Fashion Show of Swimwear and Summer Collection
Starting
January 7, 2014 (Tuesday) to January 16, 2014 (Thursday)
- Dinagyang Food Aid Program for School Children (venue: various public elementary schools in Iloilo)
January
11, 2014 (Saturday)
- Miss Dinagyang / Jet Ski Exhibition and Photoshoot
January
15, 2014 (Wednesday) and January 17, 2014 (Friday)
- Walk with Mary
January
17, 2014 (Friday)
- Opening Salvo
January
20, 2014 (Monday)
- Dinagyang Half Marathon
January
21, 2014 (Tuesday)
- Arrival of the Pilgrim Image of Señor Santo Niño from Cebu City
- Re-enactment of the finding of the Image of Señor Santo Niño
- Motorcade
January
22, 2014 (Wednesday)
- Visitation of the Pilgrim Image of Señor Santo Niño
- Re-enactment of the Coronation of Queen Juana and the Niño Dinagyang 2014
- Miss Iloilo Dinagyang 2014 Coronation Night
January
23–24, 2014 (Thursday–Friday)
- 4th Dinagyang Pyrolympics 2014 Luces in the Sky
January
24, 2014 (Friday)
- Salvo of a Thousand Drums
- Tambor Trumpa Martsa Musika
- Religious Fluvial and Solemn Foot Procession of the image of Santo Niño de Cebu (route: from Fort San Pedro to Iloilo Customs House to San Jose de Placer Church)
January
25, 2014 (Saturday)
- Kasadyahan Regional Festival (along the Street Parade Route)
January
26, 2014 (Sunday)
- Iloilo Dinagyang Ati Contest (along the Street Parade Route)
- Dinagyang Festival 2014 Awarding Ceremonies
*photograph by Pinoy Adventurista of TripGrocery.com - "your source of Travel Guides, Deals and Promos"
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Let's #explore7107islands
are you going to Cebu for Sinulog?
ReplyDeleteYes Melvin :)
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