PARTY DRUMS

PARTY DRUMS
By Reymundo Salao
Oftentimes Disturbing
The Guardian, Iloilo City. January 24, 2004



I believe that Tourism is the key to further the development of Iloilo City. Balikbayans who go home on Christmas season may always want to hold on for the next five months since the Holidays never seem to end in this usually sleepy city. By the times the second week of January comes, it's hard to resist getting excited about the Dinagyang spirit since banners and announcements of festivities are posted, along with Tribal decorations that anticipate the upcoming season. Match that with the evening drums of "Tribes" practicing in some corner of the city. I used to live in an area where a tribe would practice, and although it was pretty damn distracting (especially if you're a student trying to perfect your lessons), you cannot deny the excitement that it makes. I've noticed that many youngsters enjoy hanging out and watching the tribes practice on some evenings.



But when Dinagyang begins, the city blooms with festive aura. The only pain in your ass is the excruciating traffic jam that it creates. It is one of those moments where you'd wish you had a book with you to keep you company throughout the duration of the long turtle journey. If you plan to go to and watch the Dinagyang Sunday parade, you'd better start commuting as early as 5:30 a.m. not unless you live around the heart of the city, because they'd be closing the main roads and the traffic of human revelers would be much of a problem to those who wish to get a comfortable seat on the judging areas. But then again, there's the usual hazardous areas where you could dangerously hang on to like Spiderman, just to get a glimpse of the tribal performances. And then there's the cheap "unofficially-constructed-judging areas", poorly-erected lines of benches, which would hope to make some extra dough for those who took time to construct them. Just hope it wouldn't break down to nasty pieces, or else you'd have a vivid understanding of the word Tetanus. But in fairness, some of these constructions are cleverly sturdy and are sometimes worth your money. But you be the judge though.

In selecting which party to go to afterwards, you'd probably need a planner to do so, since there are numerous parties around the city this Dinagyang weekend. There are "tribal" raves on clubs, reggae bands, rock bands, punk bands, or whatever manner of festive madness suits your taste. But if you're as nerdy as I am, there's also Lord of the Rings 3 to watch for the Nth time (it could probably make you hallucinate that the dancing Dinagyang atis are Uruk-Hais on rave). But to those who want to experience the true essence of Dinagyang revelry, one should join in on the merry-making street-dancing that commences basically after the parade. By five in the afternoon, the streets in the main districts are filled with a population drunk with cheer and celebration. It's like a music video set on some exotic urban setting for some electronica music.

Wherever you are in Iloilo City this weekend, it is hard to escape the party atmosphere of Dinagyang.
(tripxyde@yahoo.com)