Bago City is a second class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental. The city is situated 21 kilometers south of the provincial capital, Bacolod City. Bago City is also known as the “Home of historical and natural treasures”.Bago is an Agri Industrial City.
Babaylan Festival is an annual celebration held every 19th day of February during the Charter Anniversary of the City of Bago, Negros Occidental. It is a representation of the rituals performed by the Babaylans or high priestesses, like rituals of marriage, baptism, healing, and harvest.
The festival display an exotic character of the Babaylans who were very common in the Visayan provinces before the Spanish colonizers came. Among the figures in the history of Negros Island, the Babaylan Festival is the most colorful and enduring up to now. Dancing, singing, and drumming to please the spirits are the standard way of celebration, and the people are adorned in intricate and beautiful costumes.
Beauty pageants and ritual dances are the highlight of the occasion. The dancers wear different styles of Babaylan outfits as well as very colorful and artistic accessories. Some of them also put paint on their hair and body with a variety of designs illustrated on their skins.
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