I know it is too late to write about Bacolod Masskara Festival but I'm writing it anyway.
The Masskara Festival is a week-long festival held every third weekend of October. Just a brief etymology, Masskara means a multitude of smiling faces coined from the word "Mass" meaning people and the Spanish word "cara" meaning face. True to its history, the festival was taken by Bacolodnons as a good opportunity to put out the gloomy atmosphere. After all the typhoons that had stricken Manila and surrounding areas two weeks before the charter, the people of Bacolod still showed resiliency.
| A Brief History of Masskara Festival |
"The festival first began in 1980 during a period of crisis. The province relied on sugar cane as its primary agricultural crop, and the price of sugar was at an all-time low due to the introduction of sugar substitutes like high fructose corn syrup in the United States. It was also a time of tragedy; on April 22 of that year, the inter-island vessel Don Juan carrying many Negrenses, including those belonging to prominent families in Bacolod City, collided with the tanker Tacloban City and sank. An estimated 700 lives were lost in the tragedy."
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It is always been expected that beer (lots of it), food (esp. the famous Bacolod inasal), huge audio systems and live bands are the center of merry-making in the streets of Lacson (now known as the Tourism Strip in Bacolod). I got to experience the street party and it was fun and loud.
With the outpouring support from all the Baranggays of Bacolod, the Masskara Street Dancing competition was a success. Not to mention, all their hardwork and sleepless nights memorizing the basic formation and dance steps. All the dancers danced gracefully with their colorful costumes, heavy props and smiling masks.
Truly, Bacolod City is the City of Smiles.
