The 50th Dinagsa Festival of Cadiz City shared some of its merry-making activities - the “lamhitanay” festival at SM City Bacolod over the weekend.
Beauty queens of the previous Dinagsa Festivals led the “Lamhitanay” during the opening of Cadiz City’s Golden Dinagsa Festival booth set up at SM City Bacolod.
Cadiz City currently marks its festival’s 50th anniversary this month.
The Cadiz City booth is Located at the mall’s southwest bridgeway lobby, mallgoers can have their photos taken at the unique Dinagsa Festival booth and get to know the different “tribes” of Cadiz City through the costumes on display. The exhibit will run until the end of January 2024.
Mallgoers were able to experience a bit of the Dinagsa Festival highlights in advance through the “lamhitanay.” This act of smudging paint on faces is one of the unique and popular features of the Dinagsa Festival.
The city’s beauty pageant titlists – Dingasa Festival Queen 2023 Steppi Vanessa Felice Bacolado, first runner up Kristel Mae Nacionales, and second runner up Rochelle Ramos – smudged colorful paint on those willing to engage in the fun and interactive activity of the Cadiz City Tourism Office.
As with the major Philippine festivals of January, the Dinagsa celebrates the Child Jesus or the Señor Sto. Niño de Cadiz. At the same time, the festival is a nod to a rare event where some whales were sighted as they drifted along the shores of the city. Thus, ‘dagsa’ or driftage and why Cadiz is dubbed the City of Whales.
For the full “Lamhitanay” experience, the public is invited to be part of the Dinagsa Festival in Cadiz City, with highlights this coming weekend, January 26 to 28, including the famed Street Dance Competition.*