Every year the island born of Fire - Camiguin celebrates the “Lanzones Festival.” This is a very colorful fiesta that is dedicated to the sweet fruit, the LANZONES. This fruit is the major source of Camiguin Islands' livelihood. That’s why the annual harvest is the time that they really celebrate and offer a thanksgiving party for a bountiful harvest not only for lanzones, but for other agricultural products.

During the festival, people go around the island dancing together with the beautiful girls wearing colorful dresses. The houses, carriages, street poles are decorated with lanzones fruits and leaves. Many people from the Philippines and even from other countries go to Camiguin to be part of the festival.

The Lanzones Festival is normally held every third week of October. It is a four-day celebration with activities such as:

* Street parade
* Dance competition in indigenous-inspired costumes
* Ms. Camiguin Tourism pageant
* Variety Show
* Sports Competition
* Parties
* Cultural Shows
* Trade Fairs
* And a lot more!

Moreover, according to the legend, there was a childless couple who wished to the lanzones fairy to grant them a child. The fairy granted their wish and the wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy. But, the couples forgot to thank the lanzones fairy. One day, while the boy was playing, an old woman approached the boy and he immediately lost consciousness and fell to the ground. His parents remembered their wish and how they have forgotten to thank the lanzones fairy. So, they performed a ritual as their way of thanking and asking for forgiveness. True enough, the boy got well. The following year the couple decided to invite their neighbors and the nearby barrios to participate in their Thanksgiving ritual. And, every year they did that until generations passed, the ritual became an annual tradition and they call it the Lanzones Festival.

How to get to Camiguin?

You can reach Camiguin either by ferry boat or small aircraft. If you are in Cagayan de Oro, you can either take a taxi or take a bus going to Balingoan, Misamis Oriental. From Balingoan, take a ferry boat and after an hour, you are already on the island born of fire - Camiguin.

If you want to be a part of the lanzones festival and looking for a great place to stay in Camiguin, you can always go to Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin. They offer an affordable, clean and the best Camiguin Island Resort accommodation while celebrating with the Camiguinons.

Enjoy and get to know why it’s more fun in Camiguin!



About the Author:

Bella Santos is an online boutique owner who also loves to write and go to different places in the world. She just came from the Philippines and she went to Camiguin to see if it’s really a beautiful place. Leila confirmed it. Camiguin is really such a wonderful and romantic place to have a vacation. Even the beach resorts there are all affordable, clean and great. And, since a lot of her friends are asking her about Camiguin, she is currently writing reviews about that place and also the resort where she stayed. She will post her reviews online.