Entrepreneurial Farmer

Annual Fiesta Celebration Is Embedded Culture

“Fiesta celebration highly affects the financial stability of the people because they spent unnecessary expenses” during the celebration.

This is one of the findings of five AB Mass Communication students of the Northwestern Visayan Colleges in a study they conducted specifically in Brgy. Joyao-Joyao, Numancia, Aklan in February 2012. Among their findings are as follows:

1. As to the economic level, 60 percent of the families receive annual income ranging P90,100 to P110,00. However, the monthly family expenses range from P5,100 to P10,000. These expenses are quite bigger than their income. These expenses are for food, electricity, education, transportation and medicine.

In the recent fiesta celebration in Joyao-Joyao, each average family expenses ranged from P6,100 to P9,000 per family mainly spent for food and drinks.

2. As to their reasons why do they celebrate fiesta, they do it to comply with their religious obligations, to promote closer family ties, to renew friendship, and to gain more friends.

3. However, they also realized some disadvantages. They incurred unnecessary expenses in celebrating fiesta, there were uncontrolled liquor drinking which led to misunderstanding among visitors.

The research study in Joyao-Joyao was con-ducted by Niño Miko L. Delfin – leader and Ma-an B. Lachica, Meljoy R. De Juan, Rachel C. Dela Torre, and Grechelle M. Morales – members.

Poblacion, New Washington

A similar study was also conducted in Poblacion, New Washing-ton in March 2012. The study team consisted of Gloria T. Villas – leader, Carla N. Suñer, Jay-Ar M. Arante, Jess T. Salonzo, and Reziah Aprilyn R. Del Romiro.

The study team grouped the families in Poblacion, New Washing-ton into three groups according to the family income levels which are: P20,100 – P30,000; b. P15,100 – P20,000; and c. below P15,000.

The study team found that houses in Poblacion, New Washington are well furnished with home appliances like radio, television, electric fan, rice cooker, tricycle, bicycle, refrigerator, computer, cars and vans. Their houses are connected with electricity and water supplies.

Their monthly family expenses on an average ranges from P5,000 to P20,000.

During the recent fiesta held in March 2012, their average number of guests per family reached 20, the highest. However, even if they have limited number of guests they still spent from P5,000 to P10,000 during fiesta.

The people of Pob., New Washington believe, celebrating fiesta promotes leisure, gains new friends and promotes local industries.

They likewise believed fiesta enhances uncontrolled drinking which leads to misunderstanding, incurs unnecessary expenses and interferes with regular work schedule.

Since the celebration of fiestas are done in several levels from the barangays, municipal, and provincial fiesta celebration is already strongly embedded in the culture and tradition of the Filipinos. The study humbly offers the following recommendations:

1. Each family may save a part of the monthly income budgeted for fiesta celebration. 2. The celebration maybe done in a most austere way with particular emphasis to save on liquor; and 3. Spend money for fiesta celebration according to the affordability of the family without contracting loans to be spent for the fiesta celebration. /MP