Zamboanga Hermosa Festival represented by The Zamboanga City Highschool won as one of the Runners Up in Aliwan Fiesta 2012 Streetdance Competition.
Zamboanga City focusses on the Subanen – the original inhabitants of the Zamboanga peninsula, who were known as “people of the river.” Black, red, and white are their favorite colors. Subanen believed in the spirits of their ancestors and the forces of nature. The moon has a strong influence on their lives – a full moon is a bad omen, because they believe witches come out to cast spells on the land for a bad harvest. The Subanen perform “pagaspas” rituals to drive the evil psirits away and offer white-feathered chickens to mother nature as they symbolized life. Bamboo poles called “bagakay” will be used to spear the witches to death. After the ritual comes alavish harvest, when Subanen make merry with gusto for several days. Central to this is a bamboo platform called “buklogan.” Having caught a glimpse of the Subanen lifestyle, we are transported once more to the Spanish era, emphasizing how the city got a name that evolved from the term Jambangan, which meant land of flowers.
