MassKara Festival at its best! :)
Monday, June 27, 2011 |
| MassKara Festival Photo courtesy of www.lakbaypilipinas.com |
I've been hearing a lot of great adventures about MassKara Festival. Stories, pictures, news, coverage and blogs portrays how amazing this festival is. It is very popular. Who wouldn't want to be a part of this amazing event, that's me inlcuded and this year, I really want to be a part of the MassKara Festival.
October might be famous for October fests and many beer festivals for years now. But let me say that the best festival during this month happens in Bacolod, a small city in the central part of the Philippines. Happiness is the main theme and one only needs to wear a smile all throughout the celebration to enjoy. Just one smile to brighten up everyone's mood and day. It is a very memorable festival for everyone, something that one can cherish once he/she experience it, this is one of the many reasons why I want to experience it. Every year, MassKara festival is like history in the making, one shouldn't let it pass.
31 years ago, the festival was born during a period of crisis. Bacolod is the capital city of Negros Occidental, a province with Sugar as its main crop. In 1980, the price of sugar worldwide was at an all time low. The local industry was affected. Jobs were lost. Many sugar mills were forced to close down. In the same period, a local passenger ship ended in a tragedy, claiming 700 lives, mostly local residents. So the festival was some sort of a diversion to conceal, figuratively and literally the sadness of the people. The first festival became like a statement by the local people that “Kahit na anong mangyari, malalagpasan ng mga tiga Bacolod ang mga pagsubok na ito, babangon sila, idadaan sa ngiti ang lahat at ipagpapatuloy ang buhay dahil hindi sila pababayaan ng Panginoon."
MassKara Festival is now modern, well organized and well attended by both the locals and the tourists all over the globe. Perhaps this is one of the most colorful and happiest festivals in the Philippines. The highlight is the street dancing competition where various groups perform while wearing smiling masks. These are not ordinary masks. These are carefully crafted and well designed colorful masks that represent the local culture and ingenuity. Photographers and bloggers, like me for one, would surely love this festival.
Masskara Festival is a an OctoberFest in itself. At night, parties are everywhere and streets are usually filled with the famous Bacolod chicken inasal (Chicken BBQ) my favorite! and of course, beer! Another perfect reason why I shouldn't miss this wonderful event.
I can enumerate reasons why I want to be a part of MassKara Festival In Bacolod but the thing that really drives me to go here is the unforgetable experience that I can cherish for the rest of my life. Being there, seeing it in my naked eyes all the fabulous masks, the happiness of the people. the joyous feast, everything is worth being there. If I can really afford to be there every year why not? but it happens that my lack of budget hinders me from doing so, Bless Airphil Express "PICK A FEST" for having a contest like this. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be one of the lucky three. Hopefully. *wink*
"Experience MassKara Festival, Hermosa Festival and Lanzones Festival this October. Airphil Express flies daily to BACOLOD, ZAMBOANGA and CAGAYAN DE ORO from Cebu and Manila. Visit www.airphilexpress.com to book!
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