BUGLASAN FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

Buglasan Festival Schedule of Activities, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental

BUGLASAN FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES | DUMAGUETE CITY, NEGROS ORIENTAL

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Buglasan Festival, Negros Oriental’s provincial festival for 2019 begins last October 14 and will culminate on October 27, 2019.

The theme for this year’s celebration is, “Negros Oriental, The Landscape of Opportunities”.

6 cities and 19 municipalities around Negros Oriental will be participating in this activity, showcasing the best in their localities at the same time their own local festival. This is one of the reasons why this festival is dubbed as the mother of all festivals in Negros Oriental.

History of Buglasan Festival: Negros oriental’s Premier Festival

Thirty-eight years since its inception in May of 1981, the Buglasan Festival of Festivals still lives up to its name and continues to showcase what makes Negros Oriental one of the best places to visit and witness the gaiety that is a trademark of this part of the country.

What a lot of people do not remember is that the Buglasan Festival started humbly in Foundation University as a response to the call that each province would have to bring Manila a group to showcase the richness and the culture that is unique to their originating province.

Buglasan Festival Schedule of Activities, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental

Birthing the Buglasan Festival

The beginning of the present-day Buglasan Festival can be traced to the letter sent by Foundation University Cultural Officer Bobby Villasis to the daughter of National Artist for Dance Lucresia Reyes-Urtula, the revered Loury U. Lacson to direct the reorganized Buglasayaw Dance Troupe of the University. The reorganization of the Dance Troupe came as a response to then-University President Atty. Marcelino C. Maxino’s directive to honor the University Founder and Professor Emeritus, Dr. Vicente G. Sinco.

Surprisingly, Lacson decided to accept the invitation in 1979, and the rest, as they say, is part of its colorful history. After two years, Lacson helped transform and ease in the diverse cultural life in the University. They received a letter from the organizers of the Folk Arts Theater Festival in Manila – an offer they graciously accepted as they knew it would be an avenue for the showcasing of the uniqueness of Negros Oriental.

The Beginning

Buglasan Festival got its name from the native Buglas grass – the endemic three-foot-high weed that is also known as Bugang. A letter of invitation was sent to the towns and cities in the province to participate in what was then a three-day spectacle of culture and the arts in coordination with the Coleta Aranas-headed women’s group, Balikatan.

At the end of the first Buglasan Festival, Siaton’s Inagta triumphed over the other dance contingents but what made Lacson giddier was the fact that among the dances presented were Polka Biana of Zamboangita, Kasal Dauinanon of Dauin, Manjuyod’s Amamanhig and Tanjay’s Sinulog de Tanjay – all dance forms considered lost previously but were showcased in full regalia and pageantry.

Under the artistic direction of Villasis, the dances were rearranged to form a huge cultural number, which highlighted the unique culture of Negros Oriental and got performed in Manila. The group became known as the Cultural Troupe of Negros Oriental.

Perhaps as a tribute to their winning the inaugural edition of the Buglasan Festival, Siaton’s Palihi town commences each year’s festival with the breaking of the two-meter bamboo called sag-ob. This bamboo receptacle is filled with water along with offerings to the animist deities, including kamanyan (incense-like substance), white chicken, tuba (their fermented coconut wine), tableya (native cacao balls) paired with native tobacco smoke.

Buglasan Festival Schedule of Activities, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental

Foundation University’s commitment

After thirty-eight years, Foundation University continues to be a part of the Buglasan Festival, a testament to our commitment to showcasing the culture, arts, tradition, and colorful history of the Filipinos following the ideals of University founder Dr. Sinco. We stand committed to preserving what is uniquely a part of Negros Oriental for the years to come.