Fiesta!
FILIPINOS LOVE TO PARTY
In the Philippines, life is one big celebration. Every month, a holiday is celebrated in a town somewhere in the Philippines with music, dance, costumes and food. It is a perfect way to engage your child in Philippine culture!
To help with this activity, we suggest getting the Filipino Celebrations book to help with background information. And checking out Crisela’s post about a fun Filipino Fiesta themed play date she had with her relatives hosted by Messy Baby Play.
But reading a book or telling your kids all about it won’t be much fun. Let’s bring the Philippine fiesta to your home with our list of activities below!
AGE RANGE: 2+
ACTIVITY 1: LEARN THE SONG
Coconut Festival, Laguna, January
There is no one particular Filipino song about a fiesta so we’re basing this activity’s song on the Coconut Festival in San Pablo, Laguna. It’s a week long celebration in honour of their patron saint, St. Paul the Hermit and is held on the second week of January. The celebrations include street dancing, a parade with floats and an art festival!
Plus, it’s a really fun song sure to delight even your older kids:
Da Coconut Nut
You can find the lyrics here and watch a really fun sing-along video below.
ACTIVITY 2: arts & crafts
Pahiyas, Quezon, May
In every theme, we include arts and crafts activities. These are easy to make and fun activities you can do together with your child and for this activity, we suggest making your own kiping, a leaf-shaped wafer made of rice dough and food coloring.
When it comes to colourful and visually striking, no other Filipino fiesta comes to mind: the Pahiyas festival in Lucban, Quezon. Held on the 15th of May, the name is taken from the word ‘payas’ which means to decorate, a practice which was first used by the farmer’s to offer their harvests at the foot of Mt. Banahaw, and with the entry of Christianity, these offerings were brought to St. Isidore, the patron saint of farmers. For more information, check out this detailed background by Culture Trip.
The festival is famous for its brightly colored kiping lanterns, and all you need are the following:
Rice flour
Water
Pinch of salt
Food coloring
Leaves (the deeper the veins, the better so they will leave a better looking imprint)
Add all the ingredients (except the leaves) together until they form a paste. Add food coloring, the brighter the better. Pour the paste on the leaf, drip dry, then steam for 1 minute and hang to dry. Peel off and hang on a string or eat (yes, they’re edible!)
Here’s a super old school video if you need some visuals.
Coming soon: A guest post by Messy Baby Play on how to make Firework art!
ACTIVITY 3: WATER PLAY
Wattah Wattah (Basaan) Festival, Metro Manila, June
Held on the 24th of June to celebrate the feast of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of San Juan, Metro Manila. The entire town line the streets to douse people, cars, and everything else with water. Anything that can carry water is used: pails, hoses, water pistols and the Philippine bathroom staple, the tabo.
For this activity, have a water fight but instead of using water pistols, use pails and tabos. They are available on Amazon! But come on, you’re Filipino, you MUST have one in your bathroom already.
Not the right season or your kids too young? Have a little water fun in the bathtub instead. Grab some bath paints and paint the walls red, blue and yellow and have your little one wet it down.
ACTIVITY 4: march along
Ati-Atihan, Kalibo, January
Put on a marching song and put on your own parade at home inspired by the Ati-Atihan Festival. Do some dancing and remember to shout “Ati-Atihan!”.
This festival is one of the biggest and arguably, one of the most famous of Philippine fiestas. Held in honor of the Santo Nino (Infant Jesus) on the third Sunday of January. The name means “to be like Atis”, the local name of the Aeta tribe who first settled on the island of Panay. It’s parade is famous for its tribal dance, pulsing music and extravagant costumes.
Check out the video below to see why it’s called “The Mother of All Philippine Festivals”.