Valladolid is a town in the Philippines' 4th District of Negros Occidental. It is divided into 16 barangays. According to the 2021 census, Valladolid has a population of 39,996 people. It is a simple town where the residents engage in fishing and farming. Every 28th of February, all roads lead to Valladolid, bringing more tourists, friends, and family members to witness the annual Pasundayag Festival as a form of Dolidnon's (resident of Valladolid) gratitude for the bountiful harvest that the farmers and fishermen have got for the year. The town is known as the Rice Granary of Negros Occidental with 90 percent of its arable land planted to palay. It produce more than half a million cavans of rice every year.
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| Photo by: KP Fotos |
Pasundayag Festival is a thanksgiving and celebration for good harvest. It is a farmers and fishermen’s festival in honor of the town’s patroness, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. The festival is held every February 28th of the year. In the highlight of the said celebration, a street dancing competition and arena festival dance showdown and merry making were held to sustain the town's visitors, tourists and friends on the last day of the festival.
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| Photo by: KP Fotos |
The theme celebration is ‘Ugyon Dolidnon, Pasundayag Festival Saulugon sa Pagpasalamat Sang Progreso nga naangkon.’ The Highlight of the celebration is the Pasundayag Festival dance parade and grand arena competition, a folkloric dance based on the concept of local traditions showcasing the means of living of every ‘Dolidnon’ like fishing and farming interpreted in a dance. The costumes worn by the performers was a combination of indigenous materials like shells, rice, corn and anything abundant in the town and ‘patadjong’ or plaids in colorful patterns representing Visayans.
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| Photo by: KP Fotos |
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| Photo by: KP Fotos |
There were seven tribes representing clusters of barangays like ALIDOBAY, CENBAC, MAPALAK, POBLALOMA, BAGUIN-AY, PERSAGUA AND PA-CARON. The residents and visitors flocked on the main street on a national highway under the shade of acacia trees to watch the street dancing competition. The route of the Street Dancing Competition begins at the south end point of Valladolid and the participants will dance their way to the Public Plaza where the Arena Competition is being held.
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| Photo by: KP Fotos |
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| Photo by: KP Fotos |
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| Photo by: KP Fotos |
The celebration of the Pasundayag festival dance is always a success with the cooperation of Dep. Ed, the 16 Barangays, government officials of the District of Valladolid and hardworking municipal employees. Pasundayag in Valladolid is the biggest party in town and reminds us that summertime has just began, for your travels to the south drop by at the boulevard, shop for mangoes and melons, say a little prayer at the century old Valladolid Church or simply walk in the park and have fun under the sun, shaded with about 31 acacia trees as it blooms with pink flowers.
