The joy is finally back! After three years break from merriment, the fiesta is rolling on each each town once again.
Be honest, if you grew up in the province you probably been waiting for the fiesta to come back, right? And I know the Dance (Sayawan) is one of your most awaited event. At least to my boyfriend it is. But I never share his enthusiasm about it.
I have never experienced Fiesta's Dance Party before. I only heard it from my mother's stories. She would often tell me her experiences on the dance when she was younger. And I distinctively remember how her face would glow up with a smile telling me her stories. To my mom, the Dance is such a great event to.
And last week I get to experience it for the very first time when I and my boyfriend went to their home town for their fiesta. I was ecstatic to experience it and relive the stories my mom told me.
We got there a little late; my boyfriend told me that the teens usually pour in early and we don't want to go with the rush. Yet when we got there, the line was still long (take note it's already around 10PM when we got there.) It took us about ten minutes to get inside. There was an entrance fee of PHP80 for male and PHP30 for female.
When we got inside I was welcomed by slithering teens on the dance floor dancing 'Budots'. Budots is a dance in the Philippines popularized mainly in the Bicol province. I couldn't explain the dance but a quick youtube could. All I could say is, it's a fun quirky dance.
The inside was blasting with loud music that changes from upbeat to slow song every thirty minutes or so. There were also disco lights on the event area and series of tables and chairs spewed on every corner.
My boyfriend's uncle reserved us a table on the stage (the event was held in the covered court of the town) and it gave us a great view of the dance floor.
The guys also provided drinks for us so while dancing we drink. We made a concoction of Soju, yakult and sprite. It's like juice but it got punch. In no time my boyfriend's family were down on the dance floor dancing like slithering worms.
I didn't dance on the upbeat songs. I have no talent to dance the Budots and I'm to shy to try! Ahaha. But I enjoyed watching the kids and my boyfriend's family dance.
When the song shifts to slow music the people on the dance floor parts and guys starts to approach girls asking for their hands to dance. There are a couple guys who approached me but my boyfriend sends them away with a death stare. I only danced with him, his cousins and few of his childhood friends.
It was nostalgic, it felt like I was on Junior-Senior Promenade Dance again!
Time passed by so fast and we havent realized that it was already morning. We left the dance around 3AM though a lit of people are still dancing.
It was a really nice experience for me. I came back through time and became a teenie bopper once again. And now, I also have a story to tell my wee ones in the future.
You, what's your Sayawan sa Barrio experience?
