photo by: Rio Calle

After the festive month of December, the central part of the Philippines roars more with their festivals. The Visayas celebrates many festivals during January and there are three famous festivals during this month from different provinces namely the Sinulog of Cebu, the Ati Atihan of Kalibo, Aklan and the Dinagyang of Iloilo.

photo by: roybuloy

Sinulog of Cebu

Among the three festivals, the Sinulog is perhaps the most colorful and most famous topped with massive commercialization. Celebrated every third Sunday of January, this festival is held in honor of the Child Jesus or the Santo Nino and how the natives then were baptism as Christians by Magellan himself. Millions of people flock Cebu for the Sinulog from tourists, devotees  and even photographers with all those picturesque costumes during the street dancing.

For this year, Sinulog 2010 is celebrated officially from January 8th till 17th which is the highlight with all those street dancing. The third Sunday of the January is all the fiesta of the Queen City of the South but Sinulog -related activities like trade fairs, opening salvo, photo exhibits and even beauty pageants have been held earlier some as early as December.

photo by: Flipped Out

Ati-Atihan of Aklan

If you want a less commercialized and more solemn festival, then opt to experience the Ati- Atihan festival. Known as the “Mother of all Philippine Festivals”, the people of Aklan have been celebrating the Ati Atihan for  hundreds of years. The main distiction of the Ati Atihan is how the dancers were covered in soot and dark pigment to mimic the Atis which are the original settlers of Panay island before the Malays came.

The first Ati Atihan festival is tribal in nature and just in a few centuries that Christianity spread, they have incorporated the Child Jesus in the Ati Atihan. Like the Sinulog, it is also celebrated every third Sunday of January and for Ati Atihan 2010, the celebration is from January 11-17, 2010.

I have written a more in depth article about the Ati Atihan festival in an online travel magazine. To read my article about the Ati Atihan, click here.

photo by: Visayas 6 Online Community

Dinagyang of Iloilo

The word Dinagyang comes from the Hiligaynon word, “dagyang” which means “to be happy” and it is celebrated every fourth Sunday of January, a week after the Sinulog and the Ati- Atihan.  Among the three festivals, the Dinagyang of Iloilo is the youngest and its origin can be traced back in 1969 when the image of the Santo Nino of Cebu was welcomed in the city.

The Dingayang is more the same of the Ati Atihan if you based it on the prominence of the “artificial” black colored skintone of the dancers. Like the other festivals, it has combined both tribal and religious aspects of the celebrations in honor of the Child Jesus and the coming of the Malay settlers to the island of Panay.

For this year, the Dinagyang is from January 22-24 with activities like street dancing, concerts, food festivals and many more.

Revamping this site to feature destinations and travel in general as much as possible, I looked back for this year in terms of where I have set foot in.  Turns out that I have traveled so much this year! Yipee! Take the fact that my son has become older that I can leave him for a night or two for some “me time” traveling. Likewise, he is bigger to bring along to further destinations.

I excluded Roxas City and the rest of Capiz province as well as Kalibo and Aklan since we always go there.  So here are the places that I have been too this year:

1. Zamboanga del Norte

Dakak

I have been to Mindanao a thousand times ( my mom is from Lanao del Norte), it is still a path unknown to me. And to visit and explore the peaceful Zamboanga del Norte was amazing. We’ve been to Dakak ( I just love it), Dipolog and Dapitan. I love the unspoiled scenery of Zamboanga.

2. Misamis Occidental

Aki having fun with the monkey in Cotta

My husband hails from Ozamiz City and we visited their place during the Holy Week. I have been to Ozamiz City before I even met him and last Holy Week, we went to different places in the province like Jimenez with their old church and passed different municipalities along the way.

It was my first time to see real dolphins..haha!

For my baby who loves the water so much ( just like me), we visited the Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park (MOAP) in the town of Sinabacan which is just 25 minutes away from Ozamiz City. I found this blog which has complete information about MOAP. Click here!

3. Guimaras

Alubijod, Guimaras

Oh, the romantic and tranquil island of Guimaras. I visited the island once again this year with my high school barkadas last June. And an interesting fact that one of the women I admire, Daphne Osena-Paez worked and lived in Guimaras for a year. We stayed in Villa Igang Resort and visited Guisi Beach, Guisi Lighthouse and Ruins, Trappist Monastery, etc..

4. Cebu

Aki swimming with his cousin, Boodie in Shangrila Mactan

Should I include this? I’m from Cebu and of course, Iloilo is just an hour away by plane. But this year is different since I came home many times, 4 times to be exact. Even as a local of Cebu it was my first time to visit Shangrila Mactan, the Parola in Lilo-an and the Museum of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cebu.

5. Manila

"Can I feed them Ma?"

Manila as the capital city serves as the stoppver for many our trips and sometimes we stay for one night to check out this vibrant city. When we went to Mindanao last Holy Week, we treated our son to the Manila Ocean Park but it was not as impressive since we came from MOAP where we really touched sea animals in their own habitant.

When my husband went to Ilocos, we stayed for one night in Manila before going home. And a creepy thing happened, my husband saw a vision of a child burning in pain while we slept in our hotel room. Creepy! I won’t share what hotel it was..I don’t want to ruin their business..haha!

6. Ilocos Norte and Sur

Where is Simon Ibarra?

Our Ilocos trip was the best for this year. I have been dreaming of Ilocos in years and if I remember it right, I once said that I will marry the man that will take me to Ilocos. haha!

There was a storm, Santi hitting Luzon when we went there with some flights cancelled but we conquered them all and had a wonderful time in Ilocos.  When we were in Vigan, we missed our son so much that we didn’t have much fun as we should have.

7. Boracay

ahh..unwind and relax..

I have been to Boracay six times and I shouldn’t put this on my list since I can always go here if I wanted to. But nevertheless, I include this since we spent our special Christmas day in Boracay and it turned out to be the best Boracay trip I ever had. Lessons learned- stay in Station 1 and avoid avoid the peak season during summer.

There is my list. How about you? Where were you in 2009?

un homenaje a un gran explorador....

Mactan Shrine is one of the most visited places in Mactan Island which itself is a tourist haven in Cebu.  But more than just a tourism hotspot in the Philippines, Mactan is very significant in history- even in World history. Shame on you if you haven’t heard of Ferdinand Magellan, one of the world’s greatest explorer and it is in Mactan that he met his final fate.

To cut the story short, Magellan was killed by one of Mactan’s chieftain Lapu-Lapu ( some historians think that it was not LApu-Lapu who killed Magellan) during the Battle of Mactan in April of 1521. The said battle was the first ever recorded battle between the Europeans and pre-Spanish Filipinos ( the term Filipinos was given in 19th century).

"Glorias Españolas"...Spanish Glory

This obelisk made of coral stone is in the heart of Mactan Shrine built way back in 1886. Magellan’s marker was erected to commemorate the spot where Ferdinand Magellan died under the hands of the locals. Some stories say that the Spaniards tried to retrieve Magellan’s body through tributes of gold and jewelries but left in vain. With their failure to find and retrieve the explorer’s body, they built a monument right in the heart of Mactan Shrine. Though not all people find this monument significant, Magellan’s Marker is a test on how the Spaniards appreciate and honor their adopted son.

Entrance fee

None. But if you have a car, parking fee is 10pesos.

to reach Mactan Shrine

taxi- the easiest way to the Shrine; just hop in and tell the driver, they will bring you there in no time

jeepney – take the So-ong Maribago jeepney going to Mactan from Mandaue-Higway. The Shrine is right before Shangrila Mactan’s Resort and Spa. You can’t miss this shrine along the way or you can inform the driver ahead of time to drop you in Mactan Shrine. Fare is 12 pesos

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Just across the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is its own ecclesiastical museum that holds many religious treasures within the archdiocese of Cebu. One look of this museum and you will see that it is a typical bahay na bato, the lower part is made of coral stones while the upper part of the house is made of hardwood. The Cebu Cathedral Museum was once the Episcopal Palace of Cebu or parish house built way back in 1840.

Here is a nice piece in the museum that shows the different eras that this structure has lived through based on the materials used. Dirt ( pre-Spanish times), Blocks ( Spanish times ), Cement ( American times) and tiles ( present).

Cebu Cathedral Museum holds many things from the different churches  within the archdiocese like statues of saints, church items like chalice and medallions.

Here are some of the ecclesiastical treasures housed in the Cebu Cathedral Museum:

The museum is very organized with each piece carefully displayed with captions and short write ups about them. And for someone like me who is not very familiar with all the saints, it was such a learning experince.

Lastly, the museum has its courtyard and they accept functions like birthdays and some parties. If you are looking for a quite place to spend your parents or grandparents’ birthday or anniversaries, have it in Cebu Cathedral Museum.

How to get there:

If you don’t want to take a taxi, jeepneys routing from Mandaue passes through the cathedral. They are easy to spot with their numbers 21A or 21D.

If you are from the Basilica del Sto. Niño, turn right. It’s will take less than 5 minutes on foot.

Entrance fee: 50pesos

Related article:

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

Cebu has many things to offer to its guests particularly its world-class beaches, entertainment and good food. But the Queen City of the South  is also home to old churches with its Basilica de Sto. Niño as the most visited place but just a short walk is the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

The Cathedral is less crowded and chaotic ( during feast days and Sundays) compared to the Basilica del Sto. Niño and I love hearing mass this in cathedral when I had the chance.

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Cebu and was built way back in early 19th century.  The plan to build a cathedral in a newly “conquered” city by the Spaniards happened way back in the 17th century. And like the rest of old churches in the country, the cathedral witnessed many natural and man-made mishaps like fires and world wars. The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral was reconstructed in the 50s, just after the war.

At present, the cathedral is wearing a new face with recent renovations specifically its interior. If you have visited the cathedral many years ago, you will notice its new look by looking at it from the outside. I used to see the cathedral with its usual Spanish- era coral-made church but during my last visit, from afar it seems that it is made of cement. The interior of the Cebu Metropolitan Church also made some changes like some additions to its altar, restored pipe organ and lighting of the big chandelier.

Whether old looking or modern, I still consider the cathedral as a must-see in Cebu. Like other churches and landmarks in Cebu, the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is a bearer of Cebu’s rich history, heritage and culture created for many centuries.

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