Fiesta in Sta. Maria

A fiesta is a Filipino celebration where people from all around town open up their houses and join in a feast. Usually, town fiestas have feast days in honor of a patron saint. This tradition came from the early Spanish when they colonized the country and up til now, this is a celebration that will always catch our attention.

This morning, my mom invited me to go to Bulacan to join her for a fiesta celebration of her student's family. They live all the way in Sta. Maria, Bulacan and I was glad I joined because it has been a while since I last left Manila. Since I don't have anything else to do, I gladly went with her to Bulacan.

Going to Bulacan usually takes a little over an hour via car and it was a smooth ride considering the fact it was a Sunday and there were a little cars on the road. I was with my two titas, my mom, and two of her co-teachers inside the van and they were all chatting while I was busy reading the Garage Magazine I recently bought.

It is customary to have banderitas around town to signify that there's a fiesta going on and I think this is their modern version to the take of banderitas. Colorful flags surround the entire town and you could see the houses filled with these colorful flags to show that their house is open for guests to join them in their feast. 

First batch of food. Lots of different flavors going on in one plate.

We finally arrived in the Nicolas residence and we could see tables already set up and the buffet ready for people to devour. We were welcomed by the Nicolas family and they immediately escorted us to the buffet. The food was good. They had food that are typically served in a normal Filipino feast. You'd have Kare Kare, roast beef, Pancit Canton, and of course... LECHON!

Dessert time! 

For dessert, they served some local stuff like suman, buko pandan, and kakanin. It was sweet but each dish had a different level of sweetness to it that made it so confusing. Wondering what that thing is above the spoon? That's Kondol (I'm not really sure about the spelling). Its actually a fruit (I think) and tastes a lot like sugar cane. It was so sweet but it tastes like I was eating sweet leaves. HAHA.

After eating, they served ice cream and we decided to eat it in the kubo. There was a pool table and a bar inside that is perfect for parties. It is actually a relaxing place to stay in because the air is cool and you could see another kubo outside.

The best part in fiestas is the presence of the people you love the most gathered in one house eating and bonding together. It is great to spend some time with people you care about and just talk about life. Even though I don't know these people, they made me feel welcomed and part of the family as they introduced me to different members of the family. 

I had so much fun today and made me appreciate fiestas more and religious Filipino traditions such as this. I wish I get invited to more fiestas and gatherings. Food just makes me really happy. Especially you are with people that treat you as part of the family.

PS: On our way home, we got a chance to see a parade of different... parades? HAHA! I have no idea of what you call them but the are different bands in just one parade.