Zamboanga Hermosa Festival | Zamboanga City
Celebration
Fiesta Pilar (Feast of Our Lady of Pilar), also known as the Zamboanga Beauty Festival, is an annual celebration in Zamboanga City, Philippines, dedicated to the city's patron saint, Our Lady of the Pillar.
Our Lady of the Pillar is one of the many titles of the Virgin Mary in Catholic tradition. According to ancient legend, in 40 AD, the Virgin Mary appeared to St. James the Great on the banks of the Ebro River while he was preaching the Gospel in present-day Spain. She appeared on a pillar, which is now preserved and venerated in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, Spain.
Fiesta Pilar is a month-long celebration that begins in late September or early October. The following weeks feature a variety of events, such as sports competitions and championships, parades, beauty pageants, street dance competitions, music festivals, drag races, sailing regattas, agricultural fairs, art exhibitions, cultural festivals, fashion shows, solemn masses, and contests. October 12th is the main day of the feast and a legal holiday in Zamboanga City. The main highlights of the festival are the grand procession and the Papal Banquet at the Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar in Fort Pilar.