BYAHILO off to the Leyte Pintados Kasadyaan and Pasangyaw Festival

This coming weekend I will be out of town once again, as I set foot to my 32nd province for the annual celebration of the Pintados Kasadyaan Festival 2008 and the newly revived Sangyaw Festival 2008.

The Pintados Kasadyaan Festival is an annual streetdance competition of all the festivals from the provinces of Leyte, and the neighbouring Biliran and Samar provinces. Up for grabs is a whooping half a million pesos and the title as the Best Festival of the Eastern Visayas Region.

Last year’s grand champion of the Pintados Kasadyaan streetdance is the Buyogan Festival from the town of Abuyog. The first runner up in last year’s Pintados Festival is the pride of Hilongos Leyte, the Alikaraw Festival.

Both festivals are not new to cross festival competitions. Alikaraw has joined the Cebu Sinulog Festival 2008 won the 3rd place for the Free Interpretation Category. They also won the Best in Musicality award, and 2nd place for the Best in Choreography award.

Alikaraw Festival of Hilongos Leyte was also adjudged was the Pintados Kasadyaan Festival Champion in 2005 and 2006. Just this summer they landed in the top 10 in the 2008 Aliwan Fiesta in Metro Manila.

Buyogan Festival on the other hand has been the first runner up for the Pintados Kasadyaan for 2005 and 2006. They then grabbed the top plum from Hilongos during the last year’s contest. Last May 3, Buyogan Festival, just like its rival Alikaraw Festival landed in the top 10 of the annual Aliwan Fiesta which was held from Quirino Grandstand down to the Aliw Theatre in Pasay City.

While these two great festivals will compete during the Pintados Kasadyaan, they are also expected to join the newly revived Sangyaw Festival. The Sangyaw Festival (or sometimes called Pasangyaw Festival) was originally instituted by the Former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Romualdez Marcos, who herself was a native of Leyte. The fiesta went through smoothly from the 70’s until the presidential couple were booted out of Malacañang. When they left the country, the local leaders of Leyte changed the fiesta from Pasangyaw Festival to Pintados Kasadyaan.

Now the local government of Tacloban wanted to revive this fiesta in honor of Santo Niño de Tacloban, the patron saint of the city.

Unlike the Pintados Kasadyaan, the Pasangyaw Festival will feature streetdance competition not just from festivals all over Leyte but from other cities towns and provinces as well. Expect the Cebu Sinulog Festival 2007-2008 Free Interpretation Winner and the three-time champion of the Aliwan Fiesta the Lumad Basakanon join this contest.

It’s two grand events in just one weekend, all in the great city of Tacloban. And all for the honor of Señor Santo Niño the patron Saint of Tacloban City.