Bonok-Bonok Festival 2008

It's fiesta season once again in Surigao and every Surigaonon's adrenaline is up. Fiesta, a Spanish word for religious festivities, is one of the activities in the country that brings the hype to the locals. And in Surigao del Norte, we call it Bonok-bonok Maradjao Karadjao Festival, a festival of dances, colors, foods and goods in honor of the city's patron saint, Senior San Nicolas de Tolentino.

Sounds complicated? Let me help you picture it out in 4 words:

1. Dance. Similar to mardi gra, an annual street dancing competition is being organized by the City Tourism Office and usually participated in different levels by schools coming from within or outside the province. This street dance depicts the thanksgiving ritual of the Mamanwas to their God "Magbabaya" for giving them a good harvest through the outpouring of rain which in local dialect is translated as bonok. This year, 8 contingents from as far as Misamis Oriental vied for the grand prize.

Bonok-bonok Maradjao Karadjao Festival

2. Colors. Banderitas or flaglets of different colors are normally installed zigzagging the street horizons. This is a common feature of the celebration that is of Spanish heritage. Added to this, the delegates of the street dancing competition also wear colorful costumes that adds more color to the event.

Colorful costumes and colorful banderitas on the backdrop

3. Foods. As this is a celebration of thanksgiving, every household, although not all, prepared some foods for their visitors. Among the foods in the table include bam-i, menudo, afritada, sinugba, kinilaw but the most popular are humba and lechon.

Grabbed from http://www.thelongestwayhome.com/blog/

4. Goods. As locals and visitors alike flock in the city during the season, traders also take advantage of the market. With this, the local authorities organize and assign places in the city for bargains. Goods on sale and display ranges from kitchen wares to shirts and souvenirs. During this time, goods are usually priced cheap.

Trade Exhibit at the side street of Luneta Park.

The annual fiesta is held every 9-10 September, that is when you have the foods overflowing the tables and the day-long dances entertaining your eyeballs. The Bonok-Bonok Maradjao Karadjao Festival, that is when you have the colors and the goods normally lasts 5-7 days after.

Some more colors for you...

Festival Queens always carry the statue of San Nicolas del Tolentino

Contingents from Gingoog, Misamis Oriental.

Contingent from St. Jude Thaddeus Institute of Technology, Surigao City.

Contingents from Siargao Island bagged the 2nd place.

Contingents from Cantilan, Surigao del Sur.

Contingents from Butuan City

Contingents from Jabonga, Agusan del Norte won the 2nd place.

More about the history of Bonok-bonok can be found here: Bonok-Bonok Maradjao Karadjao Festival