The Dumaguete City flower festival

I attended the third Kabolakan Festival today it’s a non religious festival held each year on a Saturday at the near end of May.  Today the festival attracted thousands of local Negros Oriental local citizens and tourist from all parts of the world.

I stood with my Filipina partner waiting patiently for the parade to start amoungst the crowds that lined the main street of Dumaguete City. The children very exited waited large smiles lit up their small faces. Then the magic moment at 4.15 PM started and music drifted down the street. Young men and women dress in a rainbows of color started dancing in the streets, Beautiful dusky maidens the Barangay (village) beauty queen, traveled on chariots of flowers and beautiful green foliage.

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Dumaguete flower festival

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The dancers costumes where based on the native Filipino’s of the pre-Spanish days and Filipino history.  Pictures of flowers dress each banner that some of the dancers paraded through the streets. It was a really beautiful and well planned affair and the culture of old glared through in a wonderful way that only Filipino’s know how to do.

After the parade there was a dancing completion between Barangay street dancing teams within the cities civic offices complex. Unfortunately it was so crowded a hot for me to stay to long. My partner Ann suggested we eat at a Filipino restaurant then investigate the festival festivities in the local park.

A Bisrock (a local form of rock music) Band was setting up for a great evening of dancing in the park. There where seats tables to accommodate the evening party revelers and food venders had set up there mobile restaurants to cater for the expected thousands of young people that would attend the evening and late night affair. Through out the park their where venders that had open shops in tents and such things as candy floss, ice cream, balloons and toys for the kids. The festival was well administrated the organizer should pat themselves on the back.

My partner Ann was tired so we returned back to the quietness of home as we both are not party animals. However those that where would enjoy themselves through out the evening as the band and venue if as good as last year would be just as superb.  As one of the sponser’s  of my barangay’s dance team I was pleased with the superb dancing and display of the float. I did not realize that the Barangay had such a beautiful beauty queen.

I hope they win an award; they came second last year so there is every chance. My fingers are crossed. Of course I will know in the morning as such news travel fast in our Barangay.

I have had a wonderful day none of the offical’s hindered me in taking many photo graphs within the various cordons. That’s the beauty of being viewed as a tourist the hospitality can be amazing. Everyone of the beauty Queens gave me a wonderful warm  and posed naturally in away that made the beautiful character inside also be seen on their lovely faces.

The citizens of this great city are called the gentle people and the fact no one pushed of shoved or tried to get in front showed that title to be a very truthful one. I have been to many festivals on other islands, where the attitude was seemingly completely different. What I really like to see was the beautiful smiles on the children’s faces today.

I hope you enjoy viewing the pictures Ann and myself took today and maybe make up your mind to take a holiday in the Philippines to see the real thing first hand. Every peso you spend here will help to eradicate poverty. Filipino hospitality is amazing the most impoverished offers other to share their food and drink. The Filipino smile lights up any dark place and the islands are all very beautiful some like Negro’s. are more so.