THE COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to everyone’s lives. Restrictions reminded Ilonggos of the things that matter most and taught them to be resilient, adaptive and creative. To forge on! Padayon! It has, in many ways, brought out the best in them.
For the Dinagyang Festival, it means temporarily moving the revelry from the streets to the screens.
Adapting to the current situation, Iloilo City’s festival is introducing new perspectives as to how it should be celebrated.
Dinagyang started out as a religious affair half a century ago and gradually became a grand cultural event – and with it came crass commercialism and hedonistic street parties.
This year, the virtual celebration does not just highlight the religiosity of the Ilonggos but also the values that make them resilient.
Dinagyang 2022 Digital showcases seven such Ilonggo values – Pagsinadya (Celebration), Pag-amliganay (Nurturing), Paghigugma (Love), Pagpahanggud (Growth, Development), Pagtilipon (Gathering), Paghirupay (Closeness), and Pag-intindihanay (Understanding) – through the performances of seven competing tribes representing the city’s districts of Arevalo, Molo, City Proper, Mandurriao, Jaro, La Paz, and Lapuz.
According to the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. (IFFI), which manages the Dinagyang Festival, in defining the Dinagyang narrative, the mentioned values emphasize the indispensable cooperation of the different sectors of society, that one cannot exist without the other, and all weave and form one cohesive story.
Tribe performances will revolve around the theme “Padayon Iloilo! Upod kay Senor Sto. Niño.” The seven values are components of Padayon (Resilience), according to Prof. Eric Divinagracia, director of the Dinagyang Tribes Competition.
Inspired by the values assigned to each performing tribe, the districts that they represent, their people, and the locality’s culture, each is expected to produce movement sequences to interpret the values they represent.
Life as we know it these days is still very much uncertain. But the Ilonggos persevere and carry on. They march on with strength and determination to conquer yet with heads bowed down and hands clasped in prayer, asking for protection.
A Dinagyang warrior may have fallen and took time to heal, but he will rise up again – renewed, reenergized, and recharged. Padayon!/PN
