Liberty, Unity, Festivity -- Filipino Culture, Ethnic Unity Celebrated At Two Fests

When Flori Gavino first started organizing Pagdiriwang, the annual festival celebrating Filipino culture, it was a simple weekend event.

But every year, the free event at Seattle Center keeps growing.

This year the festival calendar has expanded even more, and the festivities are spread out over five days. Although Pagdiriwang '92 began Wednesday, the bulk of the activities are taking place today and tomorrow.

Aside from the diverse food and craft booths, this weekend also features talent showcases, workshops in traditional arts and dances, and a costume parade, according to Gavino, who is president of the Filipino Cultural Heritage Society of Washington.

"This festival is entirely focused on our culture," Gavino explained.

The festival also commemorates the 94th anniversary of the Philippines' declaration of independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. Actual independence wasn't gained until July 4, 1946, when it was granted by the United States, which supplanted Spain as the Philippines' colonial master.

Today the festivities start at 11 a.m. with the opening of the exhibits to the public. Included are works by local Filipino-American artists, a collection of crafts and Muslim instruments, and videos on Philippine arts.

Throughout the afternoon there are also demonstrations on making Filipino lanterns and instructional workshops, including one on dancing the tinikling, a tricky traditional dance.

Tomorrow, the final day, the festivities start at 11 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. The highlights of the day include Muslim and highland tribal dances by the Filipiniana Dance Company at noon, and a program of traditional dances and songs, performed from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., by the Folklorico Dance Co., the FYA Cabataan Folk Dancers, and the Baranggay Choral along with Filipiniana.

To experience other cultures this weekend, there's also the first Ethnic Unity Celebration at Sea-Tac Mall in Federal Way.

Every April the Ethnic Heritage Council, a nonprofit cultural organization, puts together Worldfest, an annual event at Northgate Mall celebrating the ethnic diversity of the Puget Sound region.

Since it started 11 years ago, Worldfest has grown annually, and it now attracts between 80,000 to 100,000 visitors.

This weekend, the Ethnic Heritage Council expands its programming south to Sea-Tac Mall with the first Ethnic Unity Celebration, according to Peter Davenport, the director of the Ethnic Heritage Council.

There will be a wide assortment of foods, crafts, and informational booths, and 15 ethnic troupes will perform onstage for free throughout the weekend.

Almandina, a South American Andean group; Nature Boys, a Samoan a cappella vocal group; Siam Sangkit, a Thai musical and dance group; and Carmona Flamenco, a Spanish flamenco guitar and dance group, are among those scheduled to appear.

Today, performances will run from noon to 8 p.m.; tomorrow, from noon to 5 p.m. The 35 booths, which include everything from Kenyan and Thai crafts to Filipino and Argentinian food, will open at 10 a.m. today and at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Davenport said he expected attendance to reach 30,000 to 40,000, based on the number of people who attended Cultural Crossroads, a similar event that made its debut last fall at Bellevue's Crossroads Shopping Center.