BY MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – This city’s famous MassKara Festival runs for 19 days beginning Oct. 1.
People here have been urged to wear masks for the entire duration of the festivity known for its colorful smiling masks.
According to Kasadya Bacolod Foundation Inc.(KBFI), organizer of the festival, they are doing away with banderitas (buntings) this year and people wearing masks will more than make up for this to maintain the festive atmosphere across the city.
The idea is to keep Bacolod City environment-friendly, said Roderick Samonte, KBFI president.
Banderitas are usually made of non-biodegradable plastic that become eyesores if not removed or not properly disposed after the festivities are over.
If people do not want to wear masks, they can accentuate their outfits with masks, said Samonte.
This year’s MassKara Festival theme is “One Rhythm, One Bacolod, A Million Smiles.”
KBFI will be asking festival sponsors to do away with banderitas and instead mass produce masks and distribute these to the public.
The festival first began in 1980 during a period of crisis. Bacolod City and Negros Occidental relied on sugar cane as primary agricultural crop, and the price of sugar was at an all-time low due to the introduction of sugar substitutes like high fructose corn syrup in the United States.
It was also a time of tragedy. On April 22 of that year, the inter-island vessel, “MV Don Juan” carrying many Negrenses, including those belonging to prominent families in Bacolod City, collided with the tanker “Tacloban City” and sank. An estimated 700 lives were lost in the tragedy.
In the midst of these tragic events, local artists, the local government and civic groups decided to hold a “festival of smiles” because the city at that time was also known as the City of Smiles. They reasoned that a festival was also a good opportunity to pull the residents out of the pervasive gloomy atmosphere. The initial festival was therefore a declaration by the people of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental that no matter how tough and bad the times were, they were going to pull through, survive, and in the end, triumph.
Among the major events lined up for this year’s celebration are the MassKara Queen, street dancing arena competition, MassKara by the Sea, Electric MassKara and the Charter Day celebration on Oct. 19.
The street dancing arena competition is on Oct. 17 for the school category and Oct. 18 for the barangay category./PN
