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Dinagsa Festival
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DINAGSA FESTIVAL 2019 | CADIZ CITY
1/30/2019 06:23:00 PM
If you're not from Negros Occidental, you may haven't heard of Dinagsa Festival in Cadiz. And if you've heard about it, you may wonder where Cadiz City is.
Cadiz is a second class city on the north of Bacolod, the capital of Negros Occidental. For sure you've heard about Lakawon Island and its floating bar? It's in Cadiz City, an hour drive away from Bacolod. Just to segway, you can check my Lakawon blog entry by clicking HERE.
Dinagsa Festival is already on its 52nd annual celebration and I was surprised that I've heard of it only lately though it's been already there a decade before Masskara Festival started. Glad that during the dance competition, the host shared a synopsis on how it all started.
Dinagsa is being celebrated every last weekend of January and used to be called Cadiz City Ati-atihan Festival. The term 'Dinagsa' means 'to gather together' or 'to flock in groups' in reference to a group of whales that gathered on the shores of Cadiz in the early 1950's.
Dinagsa is something unique and being flocked by tourists because of its colorful way of welcoming visitors. It's expected that you wear white t-shirt and to leave the celebration with marks of paint all over your body.
Even kids get to enjoy the fun of getting dirty and stained. Need not worry as these paints are water based and can easily be washed off when you reach home.
I get to witness the last three competitors for the dance competition but left too early for the announcement of winners. Though, I wish to share with you tips and what to expect in case you wish to go next year and experience it for yourself.
Tip No. 1: Usually, the event would start at 9am and the streets in the city proper can get crowded with people trying to put paint on each other. First things first, be an early bird. Traffic can get so bad that you don't want to leave your car a kilometer or two away from where the event is being held.
Tip No. 2: Take with you enough water to rehydrate yourself. They sell more paints on the streets than bottled water or softdrinks. You can't stay that long under the sun and dusty roads and not get exhausted. Take light snacks if you can.
Tip No. 3: Smile if you wish for people to put paint on you. People are also considerate and careful if you're holding a phone or camera when putting paint on you. To be on the safe side, bring a pouch that can protect your gadgets and valuables.
Tip No. 4: Leave Cadiz by 2pm or after lunch. Traffic jam going out can be very stressful especially if it's too hot. If you don't have a car, you should take this advise unless you're willing to get stranded and wait for the next Ceres bus for hours.
Tip NO. 5: Take a lot of photos and interact with the locals and tourists. Watch the street dance and appreciate the experience. Don't mind how you'll look like going home as people don't mind how funny looking you are.
Lucky that I get to travel with my cousins who are also a good company and fun to be with. It was a short roadtrip getaway just to break the monotonous daily routine we're used to do.
Questions or recommendations of places that we should visit in Negros, please feel free to leave a comment down below. Thanks and see you on my next travel!
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