Masskara Festival, Bacolod City, The Philippines

Something a little different for now... I received this lovely, colourful card from my new postcard pal Maerose in the Philippines. Looks fascinating, although I have to admit that the faces of the people in the top right corner kind of freak me out.. they look like these mannequins that I've seen a few times and they always really creep me out. O_o



Masskara is coined from the word "mass" which means "crowd" and the Spanish word "cara" which means face. The two words combined have become the local word for "mask". This festival showcases colourful costumes of masks made out of papier mache or molded clay. Masskara is held on the weekend nearest October 19.

The festival features a street dance competition where people from all walks of life troop to the streets to see colorfully-masked dancers gyrating to the rhythm of Latin musical beats in a display of mastery, gaiety, coordination and stamina. Major activities include the Masskara Queen beauty pageant, carnivals, drum and bugle corps competitions, food festivals, sports events, musical concerts, agriculture-trade fairs, garden shows, and other special events organized ad-hoc every year.



The stamps are from a set of 12 definitives issued in 2010, depicting Marine Life. Here you can see the Green Sea Turtle, Manta Ray and True Clownfish.