Panagbenga Festival

Panagbenga Festival
baguio City

The flowers of Baguio is one of the reasons for the Panagbenga festival.
Panagbenga is month-long annual flower festival occurring in Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines.[1] The term is of Malayo-Polynesian origin, meaning "season of blooming".The festival, held during the month of February, was created as a tribute to the city's flowers and as a way to rise up from the devastation of the 1990 Luzon earthquake.The festival includes floats that are decorated with flowers unlike those used in Pasadena's Rose Parade. The festival also includes street dancing, presented by dancers clad in flower-inspired costumes, that is inspired by the Bendian, an Ibaloi dance of celebration that came from the Cordillera region.
Aside from economic boosts from tourism, the festival also helped the younger generation of indigenous people to rediscover their culture's old traditions. The indigenous people was first wary with government-led tourism because of the threat that they will interfere or change their communities' rituals.
•
History
The Panagbenga Festival, formerly as the Baguio Flower Festival, was formed in 1995 as the brainchild of Attorney Damaso Bangaoet Jr. of the John Hay Poro Point Development Corporation (JPDC) and Victor A. Lim of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA).[3] Entries from the annual Camp John Hay art contest gave its official logo: a spray of sunflowers. The festival was set in February to boost tourism as it was considered as a month of inactivity between the busy days of Christmas season and the Holy Week and the summer season.
In 1996, archivist and curator Ike Picpican suggested that the festival be renamed as Panagbenga, a Kankanaey term that means "a season of blossoming, a time for flowering".

Schedule of events
• Opening parade
Date: February 1
Venue: Session Road and Melvin Jones Grounds.
The parade signals the start of the Panagbenga. This will be participated by a representative contingent of volunteers. The parade will be followed by a short opening program, together with competitions between drum and lyre including street dancing contingent among elementary students.
• Trade Fair and Bazaar
Date: First Saturday of February until First Sunday of March
Venue: Burnham Park
• Grand Festival Parade and Street Dancing Competition
Date: Fourth Saturday of February
Venue: Session Road up to Melvin Jones Grounds
• Float and Marching Band Competitions
Date: Fourth Sunday of February
Venue: Session Road up to Melvin Jones Grounds
The parade opens with a shower of rose petals along Session Road while marching bands played lively tunes that sets the mode for the parade. Colourful costumes and lively dance numbers come next followed by cleverly- crafted, vibrant and multicoloured floats made entirely from flowers of every kind.
• Session Road in Bloom
Date: Fourth Monday of February until First Sunday of March
Venue: Session Road
Flower and related stalls together with side walk cafés and food outlets shall be set-up along Session Road that will be closed to vehicles during the occasions. Street and musical entertainers shall be performing in selected areas in Session Road. This activity shall be organized and managed by the tourism sector of the city.
• Closing ceremonies
Date: First Sunday of March
Venue: Athletic Bowl
Field demonstrations and other exhibitions shall be featured. A fitting and appropriate closing ceremony program will formally end the festival followed by a fireworks display in the evening.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panagbenga_Festival

ANG PISTA NG PANAGBENGA/PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL

Ang Pista ng Panagbenga o ang Baguio Flower Festival ay ang taunang kapistahan sa Lungsod Baguio na idinaraos sa buong buwan ng Pebrero. Ipinagmamalaki dito ang kasaganahan ng mga bulaklak sa Baguio gayun din ang mayamang kultura nila kung kaya't ito ay dinarayo taon-taon ng mga turista.

Ang salitang panagbenga ay may kahulugang, "panahon ng pagyabong, panahon ng pamumulaklak". Tatak nito ang magarbong kaayusan ng bulaklak, sayawan sa kalye, flower exhibit, paglilibot sa hardin, paligsahan ng pagayos ng bulaklak, maningning na pagsabog ng mga paputok, at iba pa.

Kasaysayan

Noong taong 1995, ang abugadong si Damaso Bangaoet, Jr., ang dating Direktor ng John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) ay bumuo ng ideya na magtatag ng isang kapistahan upang ipagmalaki ang masaganang bulaklak na matatagpuan sa Baguio. Sumang-ayon naman si Victor A. Lim, Tagapamahala ng Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) at si Rogelio L. Singson. Itinatag ang proyektong ito upang tulungan ang lungsod na maka-ahon muli sa pagkakalugmok noong 1990 Luzon earthquake.

Sa pagutulungan ng iba't-ibang organisasyon tulad ng John Hay Poro Point Development Corporation (JPDC), dating JHMC at mga boluntaryo na mahilig sa bulaklak, nabuo ang Baguio Flower Festival (BFF). Bahagi ng kapistahang ito ang pagbubunyi ng kasaysayan at kultura ng Lungsod Baguio at ng Cordillera. Ang logo na puro sunflowers ay masterpiece ng isang estudyante mula sa Baguio City National High School na nagngangalang Trisha Tibagin na sumali sa Annual Camp John Hay Art Contest. Si Macario Fronda naman na nagmula sa Saint Louis University ang nagsulat ng opisyal na himno na kasabay ang tradisyonal na sayaw ng Ibaloi, ang Bendian dance.

Noong taong 1996, hinango ng flower festival ang Kankanaey na kung tawagin ay Panagbenga. Ito ay may kahulugang panahon ng pagyabong, panahon ng pamumulaklak na nilikha ni Ike Picpican, isang arkibista at kurado. Ipinagdiwang ang unang linggo ng flower festival noong Pebrero 9-18, 1996 sa komendasyon ng Resolution 007-1996. Mula noon, ang kaspitahang ito ay naging pangunahing atraksyon ng Lungsod Baguio na dinadayo ng libo-libong mga lokal at dayuhang turista upang matunghayan ang magarbong mga floral floats at street-dancing parade.

Noong 2001, ang dating isang linggong selebrasyon ay naging isang buong buwan na pista sa komendasyon ng Resolution 033-2001. Noong Hulyo 2002, nabuo ang Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI). Noong umupo si Braulio Yaranon bilang alkalde ng lungsod, itinatag niya ang Baguio Flower Festival Association (BFFA), at mula noon ang dalawang organisasyon na ito ang punong namamahala na ng kapistahan.

Aktibidad

Ang Pisa ng Pangbemga ay kadalasang naguumpisa sa tradisyonal na sayaw ng mga taga Cordillera na kung tawagin ay, Cañao. Ilan sa mga aktibidad na dinadayo ng mga libo-libong turista ay ang Bulaklak Rock Battle of the Bands, arts show, kumpetisyong ng skateboardin, pagpapalipad ng saranggola, search para sa Mr. and Ms. Baguio Flower Festival, parada ng banda, street-dancing at ang pamosong karosa ng mga bulaklak.