Buhayani Festival, also known as RizalDay, serves as celebration and commemoration in honor of the life and the works of our Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the pride of Calamba, and the life of everyday heroes thatembodies Rizal’s life lessons andheroism (Paulino, 2014). Kicking off every June 12th, thePhilippine Independence Day, and culminating every June 19th, the date of birth of Rizal andLaguna day;
this celebration was the brainchild of incumbent City Mayor Justin “Timmy” Chipeco and Ms. Noemi Erasga-Talatala, former head of the Cultural Affairs, Tourism and SportsDevelopment Department (CASTDD) (Jumaquio-Ardale, 2015). According to a news interviewwith Mayor Chipeco, he stated that the concept of the festival is putting together the old and thenew in which, as people recognize the things that Rizal did in the past, it does not mean that oneshould stop from there rather; to move forward and see if we are heroes in our own right. Thechallenge here, he added, is to redefine the word “hero” as someone who doesn’t need to sacrificeone’s life but someone who simply does the right thing (Donato, 2014). At the end of the day, whatis important for a festival or any celebration is to remind everyone the importance of knowing and understanding one’s heritage and roots.
