Philippines in September

A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is enshrined in Pakil in Laguna and every year between the Friday before Palm Sunday and Pentecost Sunday, the women of Pakil carry the image into the city and commemorate the ‘Seven Sorrows of Our Lady’ by performing seven ‘Turumbas,’ which are wild dances performed in homage to her.

This week-long celebration is one of the few ethnic festivals in the country. Held in Malaybalay, it commemorates the anniversary of the establishment of Bukidnon as a province and honors the culture of the tribal groups in the region. Traditional tribal costumes are worn and the people perform their native dances in the streets.

Our Lady of Penafrancia is a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary and every year, devotees visit Naga city for nine days of festivities to honor her. They attend mass and enjoy street processions, feasts and fireworks. On the ninth day, the people line the banks of the river to see the statue sail past on a barge in a huge fluvial procession.