Every Holy Week, the traditional healers of Siquijor (mananambal) are the focus of a seasonal observance centered on Mt. Bandilaan National Park in Siquijor town (the festival grounds are reported at Bandilaan Mountain View Park) and the mountain barangays around it, including Cantabon and San Antonio. The provincial government stages a public Healing Festival during Holy Week, a blend of Catholic Lenten observance and local healing tradition that has been held for well over a decade. Negros Season of Culture reports, quoting a provincial tourism office staff member, that the province now promotes Siquijor as a place of healing rather than witchcraft, and describes the annual Healing Festival as part of that effort. Healing is described here as a cultural practice and local belief, with no claims made about its effects.
In 2027, Easter Sunday falls on March 28, so Holy Wednesday is March 24, Holy Thursday is March 25, Good Friday is March 26 and Black Saturday is March 27. The festival has run from Holy Wednesday to Black Saturday in recent years (April 5 to 8 in 2023 and April 1 to 4 in 2026), so March 24 to 27 is the expected period. Published reports differ on when healers begin gathering in San Antonio (some say Palm Sunday, others Holy Wednesday), so activity may start earlier in the week. The festival was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2023 the program prohibited liquor, smoking, discos and live bands at night to keep the observance solemn.
Confirm the dates and program with the Siquijor provincial tourism office or the local government before traveling. Visitors are encouraged to be respectful, to treat the rites as a local belief and cultural tradition, and to ask before photographing healers or ceremonies.
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