PALAWOD FESTIVAL

Palawod Festival emphasizes the fisherman’s daily toil, means their source

of income, their life and pride. The highlights of this festival is through a

street dancing which captures and preserves the Bantayanon’s unique

 traditional fishing rituals inherent to this island through a dance movement,

music and visual arts. Palawod, means to go further in the middle of the sea.

Bantayan Island— Northern part of Cebu— known for its beautiful

5-star white sand beaches and resorts, and most especially fine

destinations to enjoy far from the city.Yet aside from its bare beauty,

Bantayan Island is also known to be the marines’ territory as

source of any kind of marine creatures you can possibly think

of to have like colorful fishes, mollusks and shellfish.

The island of Bantayan is recognized as the contributor of

 fishes to the sardines manufacturers, a fact to be considered.

What they also called “buwad” (dried fish in English) is

also fairly recognized in this island— yummy and delicious

 yet cannot be found in other countries. Outstanding

 innumerable essence of Bantayan Island brings in their

Palawod Festival then. How did it begin? It never begins

 with a history; it begins through a way of life.

“Palawod” is a Cebuano-Visayan term literally means to

go to the deep sea for fishing to have a big catch.

Considering that the main source of livelihood of the people

 in Bantayan Island is fishing, chiefly it is one of the best

 destinations as fishing center. Not only that, Palawod

 festival aims to show the true essence of their culture

or shall I say communicating with the marines and have

a connection with it is best done in Bantayan Island.

 During Palawod Festival you can imagine yourself as part

of those marines who never cease to give life to the

Bantayan Island people. By mimicking their way of life

 through series of presentations with the use of colorful

costumes and grand dancing presentations, all of those

give life to Palawod Festival. Different kinds of marine

foods are served best during Palawod Festival through

different art of preparing and presenting them.