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Schedule
Street carnivals
5th Nov
Bago City celebrate and re-enact the freeing of the Philippines from 300 years
of Spanish occupation. This carnival stretches over several days with all the schools from pre school, elementary through
to high schools. Representatives from the forces and Mayor make for a colourful and joyous occasion with many marching
bands and majorettes. Mock cannons made from sugar cane were used against the Spanish who thought they were real
from a distance and it is given the name "The Big Bluff" today the local Barangays (councils) compete with each
other and enter for the most realistic looking. The loud explosions of the mock cannons would have terrified the Spanish
if they had used the modern practices in use today.. Some only need a cannon ball to make them a lethal weapon. but
the bang makes for an explosive and enjoyable atmosphere while judges select the most realistic. The parade lasts several
hours and everything comes to a stop in the city with wreath laying at the golden statue of General Araneta in memory of him
leading the attack that drove the Spanish out of Bago
Mao and Mao Central hold several street parades and carnivals throughout the year. Again competing marching
bands and majorettes parade through the streets. Mao Sugar Central once a thriving sugar mill holds a beauty
competition with the princesses paraded in Carabao drawn carts (Water Buffalo are the Philippine tractor seen everywhere
in the rural landscape. In Bacolod there are two golden statues of Carabao in the city to commemorate the part
they have played in Filipino culture.
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| Ma ao parade |
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| Spectators arrive for the Ma ao carnival |
Bacolod City hold a week long festival with street marches
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