Pintados Festival, Tacloban City
June 29
Prior to the Spanish occupation of our province Leyte, body art or
tattoos signified courage among other Leytenios. The individual who had
the most art on the body would take the leadership in the community and
was expected to provide protection to the weak ones, women and children
especially. Nowadays, Pintados Festival is celebrated in the capital
city, as a cultural revival. The Leytenios get wild as they bath
themselves with all sorts of colorful body paints, mimicking the
warriors of the past while dancing to the frenetic beat of the drums.
Flores de Mayo/ Santacruzan
Celebrated nationwide - May
A parade of the loveliest ladies in town depicting the search and discovery
of Christ’s Cross by Queen Helena and Constantine. The Reyna Elena, the
queen of the festival and her junior Reynas, are paraded in a float
decorated with flowers, vines, and fruits.
In some rural areas, the
celebration is held to appreciate the bountiful harvest, therefore a
smashing good time is to be had by all. We are talking about a free-for-all,
grab-all-you can feast with all the traditional deserts such as bibingka
rice cake, sticky suman sweet, etc., that had been provided by the elected
mothers/sponsors for the occasion. You may also find displays of colorful
woven baskets and hat salakots to remind you of the upcoming hot season.
