* On 28 October, 2018, Google posted the above animated gif to mark the 39th anniversary of the MassKara festival in the Philippines, a popular celebration known for its vibrant masks, feathers, costumes (like the one’s seen in Today’s Doodle) and dancing on the streets.
While the festival is at its peak on this particular day, it is a month-long celebration that includes, in addition to street dancing and singing, contests for pig-chasing, pole-climbing, and fireworks shows.
The Masskara Festival takes place every year during the month of October in Bacolod, the “City of Smiles” and capital of Negros Occidental province in the Visayas region of the Philippines.
Among the scheduled events are a street dance and fireworks display competitions.
The festival started only in 1980 and was made to coincide with Bacolod’s celebration of the city’s Charter Day on October 19. It was a very difficult time for province, because of the downturn in the sugar industry, on which the people were economically dependent.
When Filipinos first hear the name of this festival, they think of maskara, the Spanish-derived word for mask. But the festival organizers point out that the name is a combination the English word “mass” (meaning a lot of people) and kara (from the Spanish “cara” meaning face); it was coined by Ely Santiago, a local artist who featured the faces of the Negrenses in his works. The symbol of the festival is a smiling mask. Highlights are the street-dancing competition and the crowning of a MassKara queen.
If you’re coming to Bacolod, make sure to get a taste of their famous chicken inasal — cannot be missed!
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