July 16, 2012 marks the 64th City Charter Day of Ozamiz which is at the same time, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Contrary to common knowledge, pilgrims visit Cotta to pay homage to Nuestra Senora dela Concepcion del Triunfo who is the patron saint of Ozamiz rather than visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Carmelites Monastery, Malaubang.
Anyway, one of the highlights of the fiesta celebration is the Miss Ozamiz Tourism which was held last July 14, 2012 at the Medina Gymnaturium. It had become a tradition of Fascino to give a special award. And for the first time, the Miss Fascino for this year bagged the title of Miss Ozamiz 2012 who was the darling of the crowd, Miss Anjanette Amante.
After giving the award, me and my friends were starving! We went to Gat’s Bar to grab a bite but they don’t serve food during the wee hours of the morning anymore. We went to Across and they do the same thing. (Oh, the not-so-happy hours of Ozamiz night life!) So, we just ended up with our all-time favorite fastfood, Jollibee!
Three hours of sleep just past when we awoke with the beat of the drums for the Subayen Keg Subanon Festival! Subanen are the natives of the Misamis land. Until now, this tribal group joins the street-dancing around the city, showcasing their colorful costumes and indigenous dance moves!
On the actual feast day, the city parade was held in which Misamis Union High School took a big part of with their magnificent dragon and lion dance! Apart from that, the pure Chinese Laoshi also graced the parade by marching under the heat of the sun with us!
This fiesta had been the most much-participated one for me! With the activities that I had involved myself in, I’m looking forward for the next fiesta celebration in the city. See you around for more Ozamiz festivities!:)