Silay City became a city on June 12, 1957 by virtue of Republic Act 1621. The city then has 2 main fiestas, the Charter Day Celebration every June 12 of the year, and the Feast of San Diego de Alcala, it's patron saint, every November 13. But frankly, I don't remember any merrymaking or commemoration of the Charter Day when I was growing up. To me and for most Silaynons of my generation, the parish church's fiesta was always the one that the people celebrate.
However in the last 20 years or so, the Silay Charter Day Celebration has gradually taken over the parish fiesta as the primary festival of the city in terms of scope and grandeur. For the June festivities, the city government has week-long events that focus on the rich culture and history of Silay, while the November fiesta has activities that highlight the religious aspect of the celebration. For the last 4 years, Hugyaw Silay, Inc., an NGO whose objective is the promotion of tourism, culture and arts of the city, has been managing the charter celebrations of the city. The main features are the Lin-ay Sang Silay and the Hugyaw Kansilay Streetdancing Competition.
However in the last 20 years or so, the Silay Charter Day Celebration has gradually taken over the parish fiesta as the primary festival of the city in terms of scope and grandeur. For the June festivities, the city government has week-long events that focus on the rich culture and history of Silay, while the November fiesta has activities that highlight the religious aspect of the celebration. For the last 4 years, Hugyaw Silay, Inc., an NGO whose objective is the promotion of tourism, culture and arts of the city, has been managing the charter celebrations of the city. The main features are the Lin-ay Sang Silay and the Hugyaw Kansilay Streetdancing Competition.
I am more interested in the street-dancing competition because the first and last time I saw it was when it was first introduced in the 90's. This event disappeared for a while until it was again revived in 2008 by the current city administration. The present-day competition is bigger and more dramatic depicting the ‘Legend of Silay’ through dancing, using a lively original musical composition of "Hugyaw Silay" and colorful costumes. The costumes must be made
of indigenous materials. Each group is led by a maiden who represents Kansilay, a main character in the legend of how Silay got its name. Other characters of the folklore like the fairy, Diwata and the warrior, Lawaan are also represented.
The video above was taken during the opening of Panaad Sa Negros 2012 last April. Source: YouTube of Silay City Public Information Office.
‘Hugyaw Kansilay Festival’ of Silay City was chosen by the Department of Tourism as the official entry of Negros Occidental in the Kasadyahan Regional Cultural Competition in Iloilo City last January 2, 2012.
