Social Attributes of Dagitab Festival
Chapter 1
Introduction
I. Rationale
The Philippines were colonized by the Spaniards for more than three centuries. It started 1565 when Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived in Cebu. They brought their culture and integrate it in the Philippines. After several years, the country gained its freedom yet Filipinos’ culture and tradition remained colonized. This can be seen in religious activities that Spanish taught to Filipinos. Religion is the greatest contribution of Spaniards. Almost 80% of the population in the Philippines is Roman Catholic. One way of showing faith and honor is celebrating festivals which are very common to the Filipinos. People danced lively in the harmony with the tune of their music and the sounds of their musical instruments plus the colorful props and costumes they are wearing. The festival of each place mirrors their colorful history, tradition and culture. Festival is not just about eating and having fun, it is form of giving thanks to the blessing they received and looking back to their rich past. Celebrating an annual festival is very common in the Philippines especially in Cebu City.
Cebu is the home of finest festivals. Each town has its own festival due to the efforts of Honorable Gwendolyn Garcia, the Governor of Cebu, who inspires the officials of each town to make a festival that represents their place. This is in line with her project in promoting the tourism of Cebu which she views as a big help in the economic development of Cebuano’s. One of the officials who are inspired by the lady Governor is Honorable Valdemar Mendiola Chiong, the present mayor of the City of Naga. He organized a Festival Management Workshop who will decide the name of the festival. There were four choices on the name of the festival. These are Tina, Narra, Dagitab and Dagahanan. After a thorough deliberation, they came to a name “Dagitab Festival”. Dagitab is a Cebuano term which means electricity. The two main electric power supply companies residing in
Introduction
I. Rationale
The Philippines were colonized by the Spaniards for more than three centuries. It started 1565 when Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived in Cebu. They brought their culture and integrate it in the Philippines. After several years, the country gained its freedom yet Filipinos’ culture and tradition remained colonized. This can be seen in religious activities that Spanish taught to Filipinos. Religion is the greatest contribution of Spaniards. Almost 80% of the population in the Philippines is Roman Catholic. One way of showing faith and honor is celebrating festivals which are very common to the Filipinos. People danced lively in the harmony with the tune of their music and the sounds of their musical instruments plus the colorful props and costumes they are wearing. The festival of each place mirrors their colorful history, tradition and culture. Festival is not just about eating and having fun, it is form of giving thanks to the blessing they received and looking back to their rich past. Celebrating an annual festival is very common in the Philippines especially in Cebu City.
Cebu is the home of finest festivals. Each town has its own festival due to the efforts of Honorable Gwendolyn Garcia, the Governor of Cebu, who inspires the officials of each town to make a festival that represents their place. This is in line with her project in promoting the tourism of Cebu which she views as a big help in the economic development of Cebuano’s. One of the officials who are inspired by the lady Governor is Honorable Valdemar Mendiola Chiong, the present mayor of the City of Naga. He organized a Festival Management Workshop who will decide the name of the festival. There were four choices on the name of the festival. These are Tina, Narra, Dagitab and Dagahanan. After a thorough deliberation, they came to a name “Dagitab Festival”. Dagitab is a Cebuano term which means electricity. The two main electric power supply companies residing in