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Masskara Festival: A Festival of Smiles

OUTLINE

Topic: Masskara Festival: A Festival of Smiles

Thesis Statement: The people of Bacolod should challenge themselves to keep the Masskara Festival even if hardships come upon their way.

I.        Introduction

A.     Meaning of Masskara Festival

B.     The History of the Masskara Festival

II.     Body

A.     Purpose of the Festival

1.      Tourism

2.      Economy

B.     Effects of Masskara Festival to the People

1.      Physical Aspect

2.      Mental Aspect

3.      Social Aspect

4.      Psychological Aspect

III.   Conclusion

A.     Prediction of the Future

B.     Challenge

EXTENDED DEFINITION ESSAY

    Sigue Lang Sige Na. This was the song that paved way for the development of a famous festival in Bacolod; the festival depicts people as happy ones even if hardships come their way. This event is called Masskara Festival, also known as the Festival of Smiles. It is a 20-day celebration that is defined to attract thousands of people, may it be locally or internationally, because of its colorful costumes and smiling masks. The festival was created as a tool for escapism and a way to generate revenues for big business. It is celebrated yearly between the first and second Sundays of October, and it showcases a variety of merry making, beer drinking, dining and the most celebrated part: the street dancing is a very special event where participants dance in very colorful costumes in the streets of Bacolod (philippinecountry.com).

In the late 1970’s, Negros Occidental, particularly Bacolod, experienced severe crisis. These include the Navigation’s luxury liner-MS Don Juan accident that killed at least a hundred Negros citizens and the periodic downfall of sugar industry -- a primary source of their livelihood. As a result, in the wake of tragedy and economic hardships and the aspiration to pull the residents from the pervasive gloomy atmosphere, government personalities, civic figures and artists with full support from the city government, they decided to create a festival with a primary goal of hiding the sadness and sufferings of Negrenses (byahilo.com). Hence, Masskara Festival was created. From then on, it promoted the city as the “City of Smiles” in order to uplift public spirits and enable them to “keep on smiling” no matter what. Since then, the Masskara Festival, symbolized by smiling masks, has been held every October to celebrate the escapism of the Negrenses to their problems. The term Masskara is a portmanteau, coined by the late artist Ely Santiago from the word “mass” meaning many or a group of people, and the Spanish word “cara” that means face. A prominent and significant item of the festival is the mask worn by the participants in the said activity; therefore, the festival is described to be a multitude of smiling faces making the people somehow escape from the reality that they are experiencing hardships in their life. Masskara Festival was intended as an encouragement to all to fight back and to keep smiling despite the sugar problems, and highlighted that hope still existed.

The said celebration is composed of many features including street dances, pageants, food festivals, sport events, and the like. The main event, which is the street dance competition, is well-equipped with gyrating participants performing under the sun, showing their dancing talents in front of screaming fans and supporters that came from different places. This annual festival, which has become one of Philippines’ best known tourist attraction, has been earning raves both from local and foreign tourists. Masskara Festival has also been judged the most beautiful and colorful festival among the various contingents from other countries. That is why this celebration is considered to be one of the factors why Bacolod is one of the prestigious tourist spots of the Philippines. One of the purposes of the said festival is the preservation of commitment and the will required so that the people can now escape from the hardships and struggles they experience in life. The Masskara Festival itself stands as an example and a role model that a person can consider so that he can achieve what he wants by smiling and not being problematic of what is going on with his life. Another reason for the festival is for economic purposes: During the festival, many people are accommodated to their hotels and restaurants adding up to the income of their businesses. The festival also contributes to the tourism of Bacolod. For example, because of the festival many people from all around the globe try to be part of the celebration. In their part, if they were pleased with what happened in the festival they will tell their friends and boast what happened to them during the celebration. The friends in part will be curious of what really happened and for the next years, they will also be attending the said festival thus increasing the economy of Bacolod. The province earns so much with this festival that there could be possibilities that it can help in the improvement and the development of the place.

Actually, the people are affected physically, mentally, socially and psychologically. The people who participate in the street dance competition are given the chance to have a leaner and fitter kind of body. Just think of it, many months of practice, hardships and synchronization will not give you even a pinch of muscle. There are also times that the stamina of those people joining here is given much more emphasis. The dance itself is already lively meaning it requires a person to have agility and endurance. The festival can possibly change the attitude of the dancers and also the people watching towards the importance of the dance. It may instill to their minds how important the festival is to their life and why the city government of Bacolod is doing their job only to preserve the festival itself. The people can also be affected socially and psychologically in the sense that the festival gives them the chance to interact and mingle with people from different walks of life. It can give them the chance to know what is already happening to their environment through which the festival was created. It can give them the awareness on how people try to change their life and how they make possibilities to live a WONDERFUL life.

There are possibilities that in the next generations, the Festival of Smiles can turn into the Festival of Frowns. It is because of the problems happening in the world, especially in the Philippines, including global warming, corruption, and even poverty, that may lessen the confidence of the people. And, it may instill in their minds that they can never escape the fact that they are experiencing problems in their life. It is up to the people of Bacolod, the Negrenses, to cope with the problems they are encountering. They must challenge themselves to keep the flame of Masskara Festival burning.

Resources

Masskara Festival. Retrieved from http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_festivals/masskara_festival.html

Dee, Enrique. (2011, March 3). Masskara Festival Schedule 2011. Retrieved from http://www.byahilo.com/2011/03/03/masskara-festival-2011-schedule/#axzz21LfGE9GO