Travel & Adventure: When Festivities meet Beauty “Panaad Sa Negros”

 

 

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The 20th Panaad sa Negros  Festival 2013. Runs on entire week of April 8-14, 2013!

 

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 Meet the 2012 Lin-Ay’s: Sherrize (left),  Jemaimah (Right). They will turn over the crown. Wink!

 

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 Meet Samyah, the Lin-Ay Queen. Yes, we are happy and wacky. Seriously,  I forced her for  a wacky shot!

 

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When In Manila, have you celebrated 32 festivals in a day? I bet you don’t. Come and join me in the ride. I beat Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in terms of adventure, this time. Oh, come on where are you J.R.R. Tolkien? This will make a good adventure novel, I mean yeah there’s more stories here like that of your Middle Earth. But yes, maybe not as dramatic as ‘The Lord of the Rings’ or ‘The Hobbit’. Telling stories of a region celebrating gazillions or hundreds of festivals a year might demand a J.R.R Tolkien. But for this time, I get to do it. Hi Tolkien, so our journey and adventure goes…

 

 

So yes, brand Negros Occidental as the ‘island of festivals’ and fun. That’s simply well deserved. Panaad sa Negros Festival is coined as the ‘Festival of Festivals’ or simply the mother of it all. This time of the year again starting the summer month of April, where Panaad Park and Stadium at Bacolod City is the place to be. Imagine this, 13 cities and 19 municipalities converge in one place to showcase whatever they had. FUN, that’s all I can say. Well, what do you have? It’s all here, food, friends, french fries, hot dogs or simply all those cities/towns can offer. Let me repeat it, FUN plus GORGEOUSNESS.

 

 

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PANAAD sa NEGROS Festival

 

Panaad sa Negros Festival was started way back 1994, and now is on its 20th year. I mean I don’t get it if it started 1994, my math says 1994 + 20 equals 2014. Am just kidding, yes its the 20th year (just testing your math skills, insert smile here). All cities and municipalities built a permanent shelter on the said Park and Stadium, sell their products (arts, crafts, agricultural stuff and yes including DINNER) and showcase the town’s culture in miniature size. Thus, touring around the Panaad Park might mean you have toured around the entire island in a day. Now, come on Frodo and Bilbo Baggins hope you enjoy the Shire or Mordor? Come on over with me, next year.

 

Panaad sa Negros is an entire week of festivities and shopping galore, I mean you’ll enjoy it a lot til your pockets getting bankrupt. Join me or you can do window shopping maybe. Celebration opens last April 8 2013, with festival dancing and merry-making competitions. Count seven days and it ends, but yes many stuff happens in between like Latin dance, Sports, Rondalla, Beauty Pageant and etc. Yes that’s everybody’s favorites, beauty pageant. And take note, there’s none like it in the Lord of the Rings. Bailes de Luces of the Town of La Castellana wins the Opening Festival Dance, followed by Kabankalan, and Binalbagan respectively. Sounds cool, that’s my hometown right there. The counterpart of The Shire that is.

 

 

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Here’s some adventure lessons for you, you might learn here some festival names. I leaned this by talking to people. If you’re town’s not there… maybe i haven’t interviewed someone there.

 

1. La Carlota City – Pasalamat Festival (Pasalamat means ‘giving of thanks’)
2. Silay City – Hugyaw Silay / Kansilay (Hugyaw means shout? Kansilay is a Tree)
3. Cauayan – Lubay-Lubay (Swing of bamboos. Town’s name from Kawayan/Bamboo, not the singer please)
4. Murcia – Tinabu-ay (Meeting), they also have MudPack festival. Its MUD. Imagine that.
5. Bacolod City – Yes, that famous Masskara Festival. Masskara means Mask, I know it.
6. Escalante – Manlambus (Visayan term mean ‘to strike’, as for fishing. Striking the fishes is fun.)
7. Sagay City – Sinigayan. Sinagayan pertains to shells, am i right Miss Sagay? Wew. This is hard. Sagay is known for marine life and conservation, honestly i want to fly there now. Really. 
8. Cadiz City – Dinagsa (term for arrival or has arriving). They are also know for Ati-atihan.
9. Ilog – Kisi-Kisi (Wiggling/movement of fishes?). Ilog is know for crabs, oysters or all kinds of seafoods. Miss Ilog told me, its the first capital of Negros. Wow. That’s so cool, makes me wanna visit there soon.
10. San Carlos – PintaFlores (literally means Paint and Flowers), cool that is.
11. Hinoba-an – Pagbanaag (Sunrise or yes dawn before sunrise? Take your pick.)
12. Bago City – Babaylan (it means a local Faith healer, like an albolaryo). We have a deep discussion of this word, good thing Miss Bago is patient with me. I thought the word means differently, thanks for her really.
13. La Castellana – Bailes de Luces (spanish tern meaning ‘dance of lights’). Have you watched showtime? They are becoming famous huh. FUN. They also have Banana Festival, they do celebrate it with showcase of guess what, Banana.
14-32. Yes, I have done my research. Kindly do yours too. Please… I’ve read a lot, hope you too!




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