The Masskara Festival is among the most well-known holidays we observe in the Philippines. The happiness that the Bacolod people experience during the Masskara festival is well-known. There are a ton of happy masks all over the place throughout the event.
The festival is known for its colorful smiling masks, which can be seen hanging from every house or in various businesses as well as being worn by many attendees.
It is my first time experiencing this kind of festival in my country even though I'm staying almost 3 years in Negros Occidental. It is also the first time that the festival is being celebrated after 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, so everyone is excited to feel again the spirit of Masskara festival.
Many tourists came to Bacolod this year, they are all eager to see the highlights of the festival which is being held on the final day of the celebration.
When I arrive at the plaza, which is the center of the festival, this is what I saw first. A lot of mask vendors are aligned on the street. They sell different styles, shapes, and colors of smiling masks. I wasn't able to buy one though because I was busy taking photos of the place, I am like a child at that time because it was my first time and it was one of the things on my bucket list.
While walking, I saw this beautiful church, The St. Sebastian Parish. I walk in and I was amazed by the beauty of the inside of the church.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm not a Catholic anymore, I'm a Christian but I still respect and appreciate my religion in the past.
When I go out of the church, I saw these vendors who sell Bibingka. Bibingka is a delicious food that is commonly sold every Christmas season so I was lucky to find and eat some even though it's not already December.
After eating, I go to different markets that offers many Masskara Festival themed products. There's a lot of souvenir to choose from.
Suddenly I got hungry because of the street foods. There's so many barbeque stalls in the street that will make you crave.
It was truly a nice and joyful day to experience. Sadly, that day is only the third day of the festival and there are only a few activities to see on that day. The most awaited day of the festival is the final day and the day before that. I wasn't able to go to the final day because I was at work. Hopefully, I will be there next year and see all of the activities, including their Amazing Street Dance Parade, I only saw photos of the parade this year, next year I will be the one who is taking photos in person and I will share again my experience here in Hive!
That's all for today, Hive. It is my first post here in this beautiful community. Thank you for reading and have a good day!