SAAD FESTIVAL 2024- 10 HUBON PERFORMANCE STREETDANCE

Saad festival is a significant religious celebration in Leganes. A Hiligaynon term for “vow,” the festival depicts Leganesnons’ intense spirituality and religious faith. It is among the few religious days that mean so much to its people as this solemn festival celebrates the day of their patron saint, St. Vincent Ferrer.
During the week leading up to this official date, Leganes, a charming town with a historical and religious atmosphere comes alive in honor of its winged patron saint. The celebration surrounding it is especially notable in the area. It is during this time that Leganes is one of the most symbolic, whenever you visit, you can be sure to see many religiously devout who honor the saint with an abundance of candles and flowers as the history and culture of the town are remembered and celebrated.
Leganesnons decorate the town with festive displays and enjoy a week-long activity beginning the 5th until the 11th of January, with family-friendly activities such as the colorful street market, art exhibitions, outdoor concerts, and street entertainment. The dancing, music, eating, and drinking continue well into the last day, a day high of emotions with the much-anticipated Cultural Dance Competition. During this wonderful celebration, music and dance are taken to the streets.
The cultural dance competition offers a repertory of folk dances and musical expressions from the town’s various local traditions. The choreography includes a worship dance prayer through movement evoking an adoration of their patron saint. The movements convey specific symbols of worship such as the sign of the cross, and acts of worship such as kneeling. Clapping, rocking of the body, and waving of the hands. interspersed with shouts of "San Vicente Ferrer, Igampo Mo Kami!" with laughs and cries from performers they dance for joy to praise their patron saint for his deliverance.
The special feature of the dance-drama presentation is the "Palapak." Believing that St. Vincent Ferrer can heal various illnesses, Palapak is done by gently pressing the base of a small image of the saint on the head of the devotee. Many who suffer from sicknesses and even those with physical disabilities are among those faithful hoping that a miracle might happen through St. Vincent Ferrer’s intercession. Wonders and miraculous healing have been attributed by the faithful to their vow of devotion to the patron saint. Testimonies of the miraculous reinforce the role of supernatural grace in the life of the Church. The stories demonstrate how miracles prove the omnipotence of God, who speaks through St. Vincent Ferrer to heal and convert souls.
Dolled up in traditional elaborate Filipino costumes, performers parade the streets while carrying candles, flowers, and images of the St. Vincent Ferrer. The costumes include religious accessories, and the most common is a neckpiece, the devotional scapular locally known as Escapulario. Consisting of two small, usually rectangular pieces of laminated cloth, wood, or paper, it bears a religious image of the winged saint or a religious text. The mantilla for the females is another prominent accessory. It is a kind of scarf mostly of black lace or an embroidered cloth large enough to cover the neck and both shoulders and can also veil the face.
Saad festival is a powerful reminder of the importance of religion and the family. It is a time of reflection, gratitude, and renewed hope. For Leganesnons, it is a time of spiritual renewal and communal celebration that has been observed for 21 years. The festival serves as a reminder of the beliefs and values that unite them. It fosters a sense of community and celebration, bringing people together in merriment.
Leganes is 10.9 kilometers away from the city. The town has a total land area of 3, 216 hectares politically subdivided into 18 barangays. It is located along the Guimaras Strait, opposite the town of Buenavista in Guimaras. It is adjacent to the City of Iloilo in the south; bounded by Pavia in the southeast; Sta. Barbara in the west; and Zarraga in the north. To get there, one can take a jeepney at Jaro Plaza, Iloilo City.
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