I grew up in Tacloban City knowing that there is only one festival that we celebrate and that is, the Pintados Festival. With my first homecoming for a Tacloban City fiesta last year, a new festival emerges (on my own vocabulary), that is, the Sangyaw Festival, and that Pintados Festival is now celebrated simultaneously with the Kasadyaan Festival.  

It was only then that I learned from fellow travel bloggers that the Sangyaw Festival has been celebrated since 2008.  And making my further research to feed my curiosity, Sangyaw Festival was held in the year 1974 and was cancelled in the year 1987.  Why?  Quite political in nature.

Excitement filled my veins on the 28th of June 2014.  I, along with friends from Manila, boarded the first flight to Tacloban City sleep-deprived.  Ever since typhoon Yolanda struck my hometown, I am inevitably bound to accept that early morning flights will be part of my itineraries.

The homecoming is not only for our project #1pencil1notebook but for the feast of Tacloban City in honor of Senor Sto. Nino, reunion with family and friends and for the annual Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival as well. Despite rumors on the non-holding of the festivities for this year, The Pintados-Kasadyaan Foundation headed by its executive chairperson, Mayor Remedios Petilla of Palo, Leyte, decided to push through with the event.

It was a huge success.

26 April 2014-  The showcase of the Grand Festival of Champions was set, allowing the residents of Metro Manila to experience and witness first hand how it feels to celebrate a festival in the province.  With the colorful costumes and graceful execution of dance routines, who would not be enticed to brave the overcrowded space and traffic jam piled up at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, specifically near the Star City in what they refer to as the Aliwan grounds.

The imposing Cultural Center of the Philippines of Manila have been filled by a number of spectators on one Sunday afternoon.  The mood was festive and a long line of queues from each corner was visible.  Armed with no expectations, we came to witness the largest annual gathering of multi arts known as the Pasinaya Festival 2014.

Last 29 June 2013, the Leyte Sports Development Center ("Grandstand") was transformed into a gigantic stage of superb and colorful display of cultural-religious presentations which made the audience momentarily freeze for seconds, at awe at what is being fed to their senses.  This is the Kasadyaan Festival Ritual Presentation.

This year has six (6) contingents from award-winning festivals of the Province of Leyte.  The Aliwan Fiesta in Metro Manila and the Sinulog Festival in Cebu made these festivals known since time immemorial due to the exemplary performance it stages and even grabbed places and special awards vis-a-vis the equally stunning performances of other known festivals in the country.

Lingganay Festival of Alang-alang, Leyte has been the champion for two (2) consecutive years in Kasadyaan while Buyogan Festival is likewise coming back after two years of rest, also a consistent grand slam champion for this Festival.  Pasaka Festival of Tanauan, Leyte on the other hand has been a consistent placer in the Aliwan Fiesta in Manila, where for this year I was glad I was able to witness it and it awed the audience.

With this briefer, while there may be a few contingents for this year, the show is definitely expected to be a grandeur of cultural-religious presentation staging the best of the best festival presentations in the province and even in the country.

29 June 2013. -  The continuous heavy downpour of rain filled the much-awaited day of my visit to my hometown, Tacloban City, Leyte.  I came home for some family affairs to attend to with the bonus that it's in time for the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival.  The night before, I was partying with my friends until the wee hours of the morning as if it's the end of the world and everyone at the Leyte Park Resort and the nearby restobars for street parties were wasted.  It was one of the best drinking sprees I had in my entire life.  Nevertheless, I had an early schedule for the intended street dance competition and my senses have to be awakened from a supposed to be deep slumber but I have to succumb.  

Unfortunately, the province of Leyte was placed under signal no. 2 as Typhoon Gorio made its presence known.  Thus, the organizers of the festival deem it fit to cancel the street dance competition scheduled on the morning of that day.  Thus, this means I have to lengthen my time for a deep slumber.

The much awaited ritual presentation however of the Pintados-Kasadyaan contingents pushed through in the afternoon.  And it was the best decision the organizers did.

When in Tacloban City, Leyte for the June festivities, one can never miss the Remedios Trinidad Romualdez (RTR) Plaza.  All cultural and social activities in honor of Sr. Sto Nino are held at this imposing stage right at the center of the city.  With this, the name is automatically converted as the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival Park.

While planning for a meet-up with fellow Pinoy Travel Bloggers, Eric of Byahilo.com suggested that there is a Bituon han Leyte scheduled at the Pintados Kasadyaan Festival Park on 28 June 2013.  Honestly, for someone who was raised from Tacloban City but unaware of the festivities, I immediately asked my childhood friends what this is all about.  Uninterested of the festival activities as they were only up for drinking sprees, reunions and short get togethers, I wasn't able to obtain a definite answer for my query.  Thus, for my own curiosity to be fed, I have to attend the said event.