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.