Tanza Fiesta

7/27/2019 Tanza Fiesta

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Zarah Dane Tan

Professor Felipe De Leon III

Art Studies 201 – The Image of the Filipino in the Arts

THE TANZA FIESTA AS A MANIFESTATION OF

FILIPINO CULTURE

Fiestas were a part of my life as a child but it has never been the center of our

family’s universe. Sure, we join in the festivities but only when we can. We do not feel

obligated to take part in any of its activities or feel the need to set aside a day for it. As I

grew up, I found that some of my classmates and friends feel that it is important and some,

like my family, do not. I did not feel any pressure to change my ways until I got married to

someone who did.

According to Aquino, “[e]very town and city in the Philippines has a fiesta of its own;

whatever time of the year it is, there's sure to be a fiesta going on somewhere” (Philippines

Fiestas - Fiestas in the Philippines). The word itself is Spanish, so can it be considered part

of Filipino culture or Spanish? Aquino states that:

“[t]he roots of Philippine fiestas go back even further - back to before the Spanish

conquistadores arrived in the 1500s. In the old animistic culture, regular ritual offerings were

made to placate the gods, and these offerings evolved into the fiestas we know today. A

wonderful f iesta season means good luck for the rest of the year” (Philippines Fiestas - Fiestas

in the Philippines).



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Is origin enough to settle the question of how Filipino the fiesta is? Perhaps, and it

will be beneficial for us as a people to have this information backed by solid research. It is

important to settle this question of “Filipino-ness” as these events are prevalent and

widespread in the country.

This paper aims to answer the question: Does the Tanza fiesta reflect Filipino

culture? To answer this question, this paper will examine the Tanza fiesta under the lens of

our class discussions and readings in Art Studies 201. The following characteristics are

believed to be the most pertinent to the Tanza fiesta.

1. Love for connections, especially to people

2. Togetherness is happiness

3. My space is your space

4. Expressiveness: Maximalism

5. Religiosity

6. Highly participatory

7. Providing choices

8. Creative improvisation

We will first describe in detail the Tanza fiesta then cite concrete examples from it

illustrating the eight aforementioned characteristics of Filipino culture. If we are able to

illustrate at least half of these characteristics, we may conclude that the Tanza fiesta indeed

reflects Filipino culture.



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This paper is limited to the analysis of the Tanza fiesta only as the author

experienced it. Although the author aims for objectivity, some subjectivity cannot be

avoided since the analysis will be based from her own experience.

THE TANZA FIESTA IN DETAIL

Even before we got married, my husband has always invited me and our common

friends to their fiesta in Tanza, Cavite which is a bit weird because he does not live there;

only his mother’s side relatives do. I have not been exposed very much to fiestas in the

provinces mainly because we do not have a province; my mother’s family is from

Mandaluyong and my father’s is from Taguig. We may consider Taguig to be more

provincial because Mandaluyong started building malls and other more modern facilities

earlier than Taguig. In Taguig, I was able to experience the fiesta fluvial parade once or

twice. This passive watching of pagodas came to define for me what the fiesta is. Fast

forward to 2006 to my first Tanza fiesta. Needless to say, I was in for a surprise. Looking

back, it can even be considered as culture shock.

Fiestas in the Philippines are held to celebrate the feast day of a patron saint

(Aquino). The fiesta in Tanza is no different in this aspect from other fiestas in the country.

It is held during the feast day of its patron Saint Augustine every 28th of August and

continuing on to the next day. Saint Augustine’s statue graces the plaza in front of the Holy

Cross Church in Barangay Poblacion I in Tanza, Cavite (see Figure 1).



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Figure 1: Saint Augustine's Statue in front of the Holy Cross Church (FVelasquez)

The religious nature of the festivities means that all activities are centered around

the Holy Cross Church. Figure 2 shows its façade. These activities include 1) the Mass, 2)

the karakol , 3) the marching band competitions, 4) the tiangges, 5) the evening procession,

6) the palma, and 7) the toro. These will all be described in detail.

Figure 2: The Holy Cross Church in Barangay Poblacion I, Tanza, Cavite (Juedral)



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Saint Augustine is lovingly called Tata Usteng by the residents, using the –eng

diminutive of the Tagalog language. This is evidenced by the many streamers put up during

the fiesta. An example of these is in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Tata Usteng Streamer (Alas)

As soon as an invited guest arrives in a Tanza home during the fiesta, s/he is

welcomed warmly and pushed to eat. This is no surprise as this is the same custom

anywhere in the Philippines where you are a houseguest. What is surprising is that even

guests who were not invited can expect the same welcome with just the greeting

“Nakikipiyesta po!”

The fiesta guest may partake in any of the activities proposed during the two-day

event. As stated above, these are 1) the Mass, 2) the karakol , 3) the marching band

competitions, 4) the tiangges, 5) the evening procession, 6) the palma, and 7) the toro.

These are described below.



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THE MASS

Because it is the feast day of their patron saint, the mass is celebrated every hour in

the Holy Cross Church during the fiesta. This is important for the residents as evidenced by

the crowd during these masses (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: Mass in the Holy Cross Church during the Fiesta (Alas)

THE K ARAKOL

The karakol immediately follows the morning High Mass. This is a procession of a

statue of Saint Augustine carried by a group of dancing devotees. The screen capture image

in Figure 5 unfortunately does not do justice to this merry activity. It is better viewed from

the originally uploaded YouTube video where it was taken from.



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Figure 5: The Karakol (MarK)

THE MARCHING BAND COMPETITIONS

Held in the afternoon are the marching band competitions where groups from the

constituent barangays of Tanza compete. Below is an image captured from a streaming

video of St. Augustine Band, one of the groups who competed during the 2012 fiesta

(Figure 6).



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Figure 6: The Saint Augustine Band during the Marching Band Competition (http://downloadfromyoutube.co/)

THE T IANGGES

Anytime during the two-day fiesta, guests may shop in any of the tiangges around

the area. Tiangges are small, makeshift stores that sell goods from clothing (Figure 7) to

religious sculptures (Figure 8) to food (Figure 9).



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Figure 7: Tiangge selling clothing (Alas)

Figure 8: Tiangge selling religious sculptures (Alas)



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Figure 9: Tiangge selling food (Alas)

THE EVENING PROCESSION

The statue of Tata Usteng is once again paraded around the town during the evening

procession. This time with more reverence than the morning karakol. (See Figure 10)

Figure 10: Evening Procession (Ocampo)



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THE P ALMA

The evening procession is followed by the palma, a fireworks display and a release

of giant paper lanterns. The fireworks are average, not as big or grand as what you will see

in the city during New Year’s Eve and other celebrations (see Figure 11). However, the

giant paper lanterns are impressive. Some of them even measure up to six feet tall and they

last into the night (see Figure 12). Spectators may still be able to spot them in the sky after

all the festivities are done.

Figure 11: Fireworks during the Palma (classy64jas)



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Figure 12: Lanterns during the Palma (clumsygeek09)

THE T ORO

Another activity held in the evening is the toro which some residents deem to be the

highlight of the fiesta. During the toro, giant papier-mâché figures with fireworks attached

to them chase fiesta participants around the town plaza (see Figure 13). It is very crowded

and scary considering the fact that one can get trampled upon during the chase as well as

get sparked on by the fireworks. However, during all the toros the author participated in,

no one has complained about these dangers. It seems that the adrenaline rush that

accompanies this activity is enough to negate these inconveniences.



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Figure 13: The Toro (clumsygeek09)

HOW FILIPINO THE TANZA FIESTA IS

The eight characteristics of Filipino culture used for the analysis of the Tanza fiesta

are from the presentation Understanding the Filipino by Prof. Felipe De Leon, Jr. These

characteristics are:

1. Love for connections, especially to people

2. Togetherness is happiness

3. My space is your space

4. Expressiveness: Maximalism

5. Religiosity

6. Highly participatory

7. Providing choices

8. Creative improvisation



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LOVE FOR CONNECTIONS, ESPECIALLY TO PEOPLE

Quoting from the presentation of Prof. De Leon, “[Filipinos] are [a]mong the most

highly relational in the world” (Understanding the Filipino). The Tanza fiesta is a religious

celebration teeming with opportunities to socialize. In all seven events mentioned in The

Tanza Fiesta in detail , not one is done individually. Although for most events, the

participants may go alone; this does not mean that they forgo conversation. We may

therefore conclude that this characteristic is present in the Tanza fiesta.

TOGETHERNESS IS HAPPINESS

Several markers for this characteristic are mentioned in Prof. De Leon’s

Understanding the Filipino presentation. The following markers are illustrated by examples

from the Tanza fiesta, therefore, it illustrates the characteristic Togetherness is happiness.

1. Filipinos hardly eat alone. Although not identified as an event in this paper, the

handaan is one of the integral parts of the Tanza fiesta. It is literally a feast

because of the food served. Eating is communal and seating is wherever

available. No one eats alone during the Tanza fiesta.

2. Invite a person to your party, how many will come? Invitation to the Tanza

fiesta is optional but if you do receive an invitation, you are welcome to bring as

many guests as you like. The principle “the more, the merrier” applies to the

Tanza fiesta.

3. Picture-taking mania. During the two-day fiesta, camera clicks are non-stop.

Pictures are taken of all events, participants, guests and hosts. Many more are

taken to have pictures that include the picture-taker.



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4. Prizes for everybody. For one of the events, the marching band competition,

there are prizes for all the groups that participated. There are major prizes for

the top three and consolation prizes for all the marching bands.

5. Pabalot . Aside from partaking in the food feast, guests are also enjoined to take

home some of the food. Hosts are very insistent in this even pushing and

pressing the wrapped goodies to a guest’s hand.

MY SPACE IS YOUR SPACE

According to the Prof. De Leon’s presentation,

In most Western cultures, guests are allowed to move around only within the confines

of the living room. In Filipino culture, guests may roam anywhere inside or outside the house,

even in the bedrooms. (Understanding the Filipino)

In the De Vega ancestral house, only the entire first floor is open to guests.

However, as a relative by association, the author has been allowed to stay in the bedrooms

and was allowed to stay there however long she wanted. Although, the author cannot verify

this for the other houses, she believes that it is safe to say that this will be the same

practice. Therefore the characteristic My space is your space is pertinent to the Tanza fiesta.

EXPRESSIVENESS: MAXIMALISM


The common Filipino is a maximalist, filling up every available space with forms and

things. It springs from an expressive exuberance deeply rooted in emotional sensitivity and the

strong urge to connect. (Understanding the Filipino)



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If crowdedness may be deemed as a form of maximalism, this characteristic is

exuded by the Tanza fiesta. Almost every available space on the streets is filled with

tiangges. In the houses, there were times that they were filled to bursting with guests. On

the buffet table, there was not an empty space. In almost all of the events, participants were

tightly-packed (e.g. Figure 4: Mass in the Holy Cross Church during the Fiesta . Finally, the

decoration on Saint Augustine’s statue which was overflowing with flowers was definitely

not minimalist.

RELIGIOSITY


Filipinos, followed by Indians and Brazilians, score highest in emphasis on religion and

religious beliefs (1979 Gallup Survey). 1991 and 1995-96 surveys confirm Filipino religiosity

as highest in the world. (Understanding the Filipino)

Obviously, the Tanza fiesta exemplifies this trait because it is by definition a

religious celebration. All the events are held in honor of the patron saint even in the most

seemingly pagan toro. Moreover, even in the commercial endeavor of tiangge, you will find

many religious articles like scapulars, rosaries and sculptures (See Figure 8: Tiangge selling

religious sculptures.

HIGHLY PARTICIPATORY

Of the seven markers of the characteristic Highly participatory mentioned by Prof.

De Leon in Understanding the Filipino, two are exemplified by the events karakol and toro.

1. In Filipino society, everybody is a participant/performer.



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2. Nobody is a mere spectator. There is no separation of performer/creator and

audience/spectator.

During the karakol, all participants dance and spectators are encouraged to join. For

the toro, there are no spectators. Everyone is a participant.

PROVIDING CHOICES

On the macro level, choices are provided in the Tanza fiesta with the events

available to guests. Aside from choosing the event, one can also choose to participate or

not, and to be an active participant or a mere spectator.

On the micro level, the food offered to guests is a literal feast. Guests are spoiled for

choice on the buffet table from the entrées to the desserts. Moreover, since food is served

buffet style, it is also up to the guests how much food to get. The only constraint is that

guests may not refuse to eat.

CREATIVE IMPROVISATION


Extemporaneous or on-the-spot creativity comes very naturally to the Filipino who has

the finest artistic yet improvisatory traditions such as the duplo, balagtasan, balitaw, tultul,

kulintang, kuntao and okir. Creative spontaneity is highly valued. (Understanding the

Filipino)

The karakol follows a beat for dancing but participants do not follow rigid steps.

Because of this, this event exemplifies creative improvisation.



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The giant papier-mâché figures used in the toro are not made using a pattern and

thus also embody this same characteristic. Moreover, the people moving these giant figures

do not have a set path and so have to be attentive to each others’ moves and at the same

time be careful not to hurt any participants/spectators even if aiming to surprise them.

Doing these entails creative spontaneity.

CONCLUSION

As demonstrated in this paper, the Tanza fiesta reflects the Filipino culture because

it embodies all of its eight characteristics. To summarize:

1. Love for connections, especially to people. All seven events are done

communally.

2. Togetherness is happiness. Nobody eats alone during the fiesta, guests may or

may not be expressly invited and they may bring other guests, lots of pictures are

taken to include everybody, there are prizes for all of the participants in a

competition, and pabalot is offered to all guests.

3. My space is your space. Guests are welcome to roam around the entire first floor of

the house.

4. Expressiveness: Maximalism. It is crowded everywhere. Almost all spaces are

taken in all the events. Another example is the decoration on Saint Augustine’s float

which is bedecked with flowers.



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5. Religiosity. The fiesta itself is a religious celebration. Moreover, all the events in it

are offered to the patron saint even the most non-religious parts: the toro and the

tiangges (where religious articles are sold).

6. Highly participatory. In the karakol and the toro, everyone participates and no one

is a mere spectator.

7. Providing choices. Choices are provided with the events available as well as with

the food.

8. Creative improvisation. The karakol and the toro entails creative spontaneity

because they are not rehearsed and do not follow a pattern. The same can be said

for the design of the giant papier-mâché figures because they are created on the fly

without any resort to patterns.



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TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Saint Augustine's Statue in front of the Holy Cross Church (FVelasquez) 4 Figure 2: The Holy Cross Church in Barangay Poblacion I, Tanza, Cavite (Juedral) 4 Figure 3: Tata Usteng Streamer (Alas) 5 Figure 4: Mass in the Holy Cross Church during the Fiesta (Alas) 6 Figure 5: The Karakol (MarK) 7 Figure 6: The Saint Augustine Band during the Marching Band Competition

(http://downloadfromyoutube.co/) 8 Figure 7: Tiangge selling clothing (Alas) 9 Figure 8: Tiangge selling religious sculptures (Alas) 9 Figure 9: Tiangge selling food (Alas) 10 Figure 10: Evening Procession (Ocampo) 10 Figure 11: Fireworks during the Palma (classy64jas) 11 Figure 12: Lanterns during the Palma (clumsygeek09) 12 Figure 13: The Toro (clumsygeek09) 13



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WORKS CITED

Aguinaldo, Milagros M. Mga pagdiriwang sa Pilipinas : Pasko, Bagong Taon, Piyesta, at atbp. .

Quezon City: MMA Publications, 2002.

Alas, Pepe. Facebook . 28 August 2011. Photo. 12 June 2013.

Aquino, Michael. Philippines Fiestas - Fiestas in the Philippines. 2012. 23 May 2012.

<http://goseasia.about.com/od/eventsfest5/a/phil_fiestas.htm>.

classy64jas. YouTube. 29 August 2011. Streaming Video. 12 June 2013.

clumsygeek09. YouTube. 1 September 2013. Streaming Video. 12 June 2013.

De Leon, Jr., Felipe M. Understanding the Filipino. Quezon City, 30 June 2010. Powerpoint

Presentation.

FVelasquez, Ramon. Wikimedia Commons. 22 May 2013. Jpeg. 12 June 2013.

http://downloadfromyoutube.co/ . 10 September 2012. Streaming Video. 12 June 2013.

Juedral. Wikipedia. 17 August 2007. Jpeg. 12 June 2013.

MarK, AxL. YouTube. 16 September 2012. Streaming Video. 12 June 2013.

Ocampo, Rhap. YouTube. 30 August 2012. Streaming Video. 12 June 2013.

Rubin, Ligaya G. Tiamson. "Mula pista ni San Isidro sa Ballacayu hanggang sa Lantern

Parade sa Diliman." Rubin, Ligaya G. Tiamson. Paano nagsusulat and isang ina.

Manila: UST Publishing House, 2003. 89-96.



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UP Asian Institute of Tourism, Tourism 126 Class. "Mga pista bilang salamin ng Kulturang

Pilipino." University of the Philippines Asian Institute of Tourism Conference on

Tourism and Hospitality . Marikina: UP Asian Institute of Tourism, 2009. 1-192.

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