The Story of Pintaflores

Posted by Enrico Dee on November 10, 2012

Pintaflores Festival has been on my travel schedu for the last four years already. In fact, last 2010, I even judged the street dancing competition of the festival.

What I love about the festival is the colorful costumes, the very intricate ball gowns and the lively choreography.

This year, I came back to San Carlos City to witness the festival, but this time, I brought with me several blogger friends from Manila.

Don Fitz and Rina all flew in from Manila just to witness this festival. We all traveled to San Carlos together with Dustin and Maybelle of Choose Philippines.

Pintaflores has always been known as a festival of flowers and tattoo.

The festival is based on the legend of a certain princess known as Princess Nabingka who came from Cebu. She sailed from Cebu and crossed to a nearby island. They landed in a piece of land now known today as San Carlos.

The Princess’ people named the land as Nabingkalan, in honor of the princess from Cebu.

But later on, Princess Nabingka got weak and became sick. They called on each and every folk healer just to cure her illness.

The one of the local babaylan (folk healer) advised the princess to tell her people to plant flowers for her. In this way she will regain her strength and will be alright again.

But because of the harsh conditions, the plants did not grow well, many pants died. So the babaylan ordered the townsfolk to have their bodies tattooed with flowers. Everyone agreed.

Soon enough, Princess Nabingka got well, regained her strength. The people rejoiced and danced upon hearing the good news.

This folk legend has always been the basis for the routine for the Pintaflores Festival. Lovely ladies playing the role of Princess Nabingka wear the most intricate of all the ball gowns.

Every year, the costumes of the competing groups get better and better. The routines are getting more exciting.