Colorful attires, vibrant atmosphere, and endless merrymaking, words fall short when describing Pintados Kasadyaan, one of the most awaited and standout festivals in the entire nation. This event is a merged celebration of two prominent festivals – the Kasadyaan Festival and the Pintados Festival held in the Tacloban City. The term ‘kasadyaan’ means happiness in the local dialect while Pintados’ refers to the region’s ancient brave warriors.
Also referred to as the ‘Festival of Festivals’, the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival is held on June 29 every year. The wave of this festival runs through the whole Philippines and the glory can be seen through the various dance performances, acts, and exercises. In the introductions, the locals narrate their past stories and legends of brave warriors through various move numbers and melodious performances while dancers paint their bodies in an attractive pattern to resemble an armor-clad warrior.
History of the Festival
When the Spaniards arrived on the island in 1668, they found men and women with bodies heavily painted or tattooed. Initially, they were intimidated and considered them as illiterate but they soon realized that it was their culture. The locals had distinct customs of their own and the Spaniards named them Pintados. The local people followed a tradition of commemorating victories by merrymaking and thanking their gods for a good harvest.
In 1986, a group of entrepreneurs and businessmen from Tacloban City founded the Pintados Foundation. Together with the locals, they began incorporating the cultural activities with Catholicism, re-conceptualizing the festivity to honor Señor Santo Niño or Child Jesus. This led to the inception of the Pintados Festival and its first ever celebration on June 29th, 1987.
Significance of the Tattoo
In that era, making tattoos on the body was considered a mark of beauty and courage. Tattoo making in the past was not as meticulous as it is today. In the absence of advanced tools that we have now, the process was rather painful and took a long time. Thus, a man who successfully had tattoos done on his body was considered both brave and strong. The tattoos or ‘pintados’ served as the status symbol of the locals with the bravest of the warriors heavily tattooed from head to feet.
As modernization sets in, the old things were replaced by the new and the traditions of worshiping spirits and tattooing faded away. But even though the traditions are no longer followed like they were before, they are not forgotten and every year, people still remember the old tales and legends in the Pintados festival.
How to Join in the Festivities
If you wish to join the fun and celebrations at Pintados Kasadyaan Festival and watch the colorful men and women dance on the streets, book your stay in Leyte in advance. Getting to Tacloban City is relatively easy with flights coming in and out every day at the local airport. It takes a little more than an hour to get there from Manila by plane.
Discover our list of the must-see festivals in the Philippines.
Images courtesy of Martinoy Absin Photography (martinoyabsin.com)
