The City of Pines commemorates another month long celebration of the “Panagbenga” (a local term which means season of blooming or to bloom) or the Flower Festival. It has been practiced for many years now as a way of coping with the disastrous 1990 earthquake which greatly affected the City.
I think, I was six years old when my mom, siblings, cousins and I started watching the parades. We would sit along the pavements of Session Road with our snacks and just be mesmerised on how creative the locals can be.
Their way of showing creativity was different, every detail on their costume were designed to awe the viewers, just like the kid in the photo below. Even though he was, obviously, tired- he made me want to take a photo of him (And of course he’s too cute, so I really did take one). The details on his costume stunned me, from head to toe- the gold sequins partnered with the blue velvet cloth really made him shine.
February 1, 2018 -Grand Opening Parade
I got up early so I wouldn’t be late for work but then all roads going to the city proper and roads within the city were already closed. So I parked my car nearby and watched the parade instead- while slurping “taho” or softened tofu with arnibal (sweetener) and pearls.
It was also the opening of the “Market Encounter” located at Burnham Lake Drive where a lot of shops offer a variety of goods. And of course lots of food to choose from. Haha
(But I haven’t visited it yet because I’m busy and lazy. 😛)
February 24,2018- Street Dancing Parade
While every local in Baguio went away- out of town or just stayed home to escape the hassle of the influx of tourists- I, on the other hand, went out because I have to go to work (sad isn’t it?). But its ok because I got the chance to walk from our house to the city which is atleast 7 to 8 kilometers (kidding!). I was planning to take a cab from our house to drop me to the nearest point in town where I can just walk to my work place but instead I took the jitney and got down from a place where I walked for about 15 minutes to reach the city proper. (Exercise maybe? I need it for summer getaways. Haha)
Anyway, the parade started and I couldn’t cross the street because of it so I just watched them perform and took some photos.
As soon as I saw the participants with their dashing colourful costumes and props, I can’t help but reminisce dancing along with the Panagbenga hymn, oh those days! I was a participant in the street dancing competition when I was in elementary and high school. (Yes, I dance and fyi dancing is my first love ☺️)
Anyway, here are other photos I got from watching the parade. Dancers moving in perfect unison!
And here’s the reason why dancers kept on moving graciously:
A high school student playing the saxaphone while carrying a large flower on her back. Imagine the drummers conveying their own instrument for hours! Oh I admire them for their strength, perseverance and talents.
And students delightedly striking the drums. (Glad I captured them laughing haha)
Furthermore, the festivity wouldn’t be complete without “Cañao”- a ritual dance performed by the Cordillerans.
A local happily performing Cañao complete with the gong and the “Bahag” or G-string- this is a traditional clothing worn by the Cordillerans which covers the genitals and part of the glutes.
And so, I also a took a photo of one of the muse from the parade.
Isn’t she beautiful? She’s still a secondary student but her features are undoubtedly stunning!
February 25,2018 - Grand Float Parade
One of the most anticipated events during the festival is the Grand Float Parade wherein different establishments or companies within the city or outside compete for the prize- some floats even invited well-known celebrities to join the parade.
Well, of course rules would always be present and some of these are as follows:
The float must cohere with this year’s theme: Celebration of Culture and Creativity;
Floats must be covered with flowers- natural colour or dyed;
Synthetic materials such as tires, bumpers, windshield and headlights or anything artificial must be covered with flowers.
With this, here are some photos from the float parade:
Empoy (Ang pambansang pogi) waving at my friend’s mom because she was very excited to see him.
Coco Martin and other celebrities on ABS-CBN’s float.
I wasn’t able to see the floats in person because I was busy sleeping (hahaha). Good thing my friend, Ralph Manalo- he actually lives in the city where the parade passes by- took photos and gave the permission to use it. If you want to look at Ralph’s full post and laugh at his ‘witty’ captions then click here.
February 26-March 4, 2018- Session Road in Bloom
The festival’s most awaited event! Session Road is the main road in the city- its the heart of Baguio where commercial buildings, stores, restaurants, shopping centres and offices are mostly located. And during the event, the road is closed for one week as part of the celebration. So if ever you may want to visit Baguio, now is the best time, you still have a couple of days to enjoy it. 😉
Last Monday, Doc Rodel and I went out for lunch and strolled along Session Road and I asked him to walk ahead of me so I can take a photo of him but this happened. Haha! I think the man in blue saw me taking a photo that’s why he smiled. (Photobomber! But it’s actually nice he did that- a way of saying he is enjoying our city 😉)
Anyway, the first stall we went looking for was Okey na Okoy which serves okoy or squash fritters made from shredded squash, shrimps and onions deep fried into a crisp golden snack. They also serve lumpiang shanghai , lumpiang toge (bean sprouts roll) and other products like longanisa (pork sausages).
They implemented a new queuing system- where they now use numbers instead of just lining up- due to a swarm of customers last year wherein the line ( a zigzag line of people) blocked half of the street causing chaos. The local government fined them with two thousand pesos because of this, hence the new system.
Finally! After one year and 15 minutes! Haha (They don’t have any outlets here in Baguio and the only chance we could enjoy this mouthwatering treat is during Session Road in Bloom)
Photo taken by Doc Rodel
Me,eating my third piece of okoy and I still have one lumpiang toge to eat. Yum! I couldn’t wait to eat it that’s why we stayed at the side to devour it. This treat is best partnered with their “sukang sasa” or palm vinegar seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. And for only a hundred pesos you can enjoy 3 statisfying pieces of okoy, not bad right? Worth the wait! I still have a few more days to enjoy this snack. Haha
**I wasn’t able to take a photos in the evening because it was too crowded and noisy. 😬
To sum it all up, I think next year’s celebration would be even greater and I am looking forward to it. And I hope you’ll be able to visit Baguio City, where a lot of cool, artistic and lovely people live. 😆
Happy Panagbenga everyone! ❤️
Raplh Manalo
Mariam Yousuf
Dr. Rodel Lacuesta for being my model and photographer haahaha
I used my iphoneSE to take the photos.
