Colorful Festivals in Eastern Samar

FESTIVALS IN EASTERN SAMAR

Samar is divided into three parts – Northern Samar, Western Samar and Eastern Samar. For purposes of clarity, Western Samar is simply referred to or called SAMAR.

Homonhon Landing

Photo from: http://journey.ph/homonhon-landing-a-celebration-of-ferdinand-magellans-first-landing-in-the-philippines/

Unknown and unfamiliar it may be for some, but it is a province that Filipinos should visit even for once. Homonhon Island is located on the Eastern part of the Eastern Samar. The coast of this province faces the massive Pacific Ocean which is the reason why it is so special.

In the town of Guiuan, people celebrates the Homonhon festival in honor of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portugese explorer who circumnavigate the world and discovered the Philippines. Yet, before actually discovering the entire Philippines, Magellan first discovered the Homonhon Island. Read More: http://pageone.ph/homonhon-landing-a-celebration-of-ferdinand-magellans-first-landing-in-the-philippines/

Karayapan Festival

Photo from: http://travelguiuan.blogspot.com/2011/03/karayapan-festival-of-guiuan.html

Karayapan is an old Waray-Waray word which broadly means “for all” and closely related to the concept of community. Karayapan Festival is a colorful festival depicting how the early Guiuan townsfolk enjoyed nature’s bounties, rich marine life, fertile land, and verdant forest. It is also a thanksgiving to our Patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This Festival usually features a street dancing parade by groups from the primary and secondary schools of Guiuan. The parade ends at the Town Plaza where the various groups compete for the trophy and cash prize. Usually, this occurs in March; however, the schedule was changed to December in line with the fiesta of the Immaculada Concepcion (the biggest fiesta of the year). I will research and post soon the updated schedule of this festival. Read More: http://travelguiuan.blogspot.com/2011/03/karayapan-festival-of-guiuan.html

Padul-ong Festival

Photo from: http://msgrlope.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-padul-ong-festival-of-borongan.html

Padul-Ong festival is celebrated by the Boronganons every 8th of September to pay homage to its Patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The festival commemorates the day they received the image of Mary after it was shipped by a mysterious lady from Portugal. (See story here: http://msgrlope.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-padul-ong-festival-of-borongan.html) My grandmother would always tell me the story of the mysterious girl who brought the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Portugal to the Philippines and how the Padul-Ong festival started. Every September 7, Borongan City celebrates an early morning mass in a old-fashioned chapel at Barangay Punta Maria. The mass signifies that the Padul-ong Festival has start of the festival. From the chapel, the small image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is transferred to Rawis Port. The first part of the festival which usually starts at 5:00 in the morning is the procession where boat owners can join along with the official boat carrier of the small image across Rawis Bay. The image is then paraded through the town going to Borongan Cathedral. Read More: https://lespagesdulivre.wordpress.com/2017/01/08/padul-ong-festival/

Balangiga Incident

Photo from: https://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/balangiga-bells-are-back-home-in-samar-ringing-again-at-christmas-time/

Catholic bishops welcomed the return of the three Balangiga church bells taken by the US soldiers as war booty more than a century ago. The return of the bells is an opportunity to understand history better with a “mature perspective”. It also demonstrates that the path to healing and reconciliation may be arduous but is never impossible.

The bells were flown home to Manila Tuesday, four months after the US decided to return the church artifacts. The bells were officially turned over by US ambassador Sung Kim to the Philippine government led by Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana in a ceremony held at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City. The church bells were taken by the US forces as war trophies in the aftermath of the Balangiga massacre during the Philippine-American War in 1901. The bells were rung to signal an attack by native bolo fighters that almost wiped out US soldiers. It was said to be the worst single defeat of the US army during the war at the turn of the century.

It was followed by the deaths of thousands of Balangiga residents, mostly civilians 10 years old and above, when the American soldiers retaliated with a “kill-and-burn” policy. One of the bells was kept in the US military base in South Korea while the two others were brought to an air base in Wyoming. After 117 years, the bells shall now be returned to their rightful place in the Parish of St. Lawrence the Martyr in Balangiga. It’s a “priceless religious treasure”, considering the bells’ value to the history of the Church in the country. Read More: http://www.filcatholic.org/bishops-see-return-of-balangiga-bells-as-path-to-healing/

Alimango Festival

Photo from: http://www.pepper.ph/food-festivals-in-the-philippines/

The Philippine mud crab, scientific name Scylla serrata, also called as mangrove crabs or black crabs is an economically important crab species. It is because of the business opportunity for the growing demand of these crustaceans commercially.

Mud crab, commonly called by Filipinos as alimango, is a species of crab that lives in estuaries or mangrove areas where salt and freshwater gather.

In Samar Province, the municipality of Santa Margarita celebrates the Alimango Festival in honor of these mud crabs. Read More: http://www.choosephilippines.com/do/festivals/4407/alimango-festival-samar

Eastern Samar is in Region VIII

Visiting Enchanting Eastern Samar is a MUST

Where is Eastern Samar and How to Get There

Top Tourist Destinations in Eastern Samar

Colorful Festivals in Eastern Samar

Have a Lot of Fun in Eastern Samar

Eastern Samar Photo Gallery

Eastern Samar Video Collections