Midsayap Halad Festival

Hala Bira!! Pit Senior!!! Viva Senior Sto. Niño!!– will be the most common phrase throughout the festivities and to all devotees of Sto Niño. The Sinulog of Cebu, Ati-Atihan in Iloilo and places celebrating the feast day of the patron Senior Sto Niño this is the celebration that shows that it’s more fun in the Philippines.

The Municipality of Midsayap of being a first class municipality in the Province of Cotabato, it annually celebrate its patronal fiesta every third week of January. This fiesta involve an event which is participated by different participant coming from different neighboring municipality like Libungan, Pigcawayan, Alamada and other muslim community like Pikit, Matalam. This event is called Halad festival, which celebrated to show different community in Cotabato and even in the province of Maguindanao.

The Halad Festival celebrated here can be likened to the Sinulog festival in Cebu, and Ati-Atihan in Iloilo. The word “Halad” is a Cebuano word which means offering. So that’s why the Municipality of Midsayap celebrates this to give thanks to their good harvest of their different crops.

The Street dancing usually starts at 7 o’clock in the morning, third saturday of January at Crossing, Midsayap. As this celebration is a big event for the Midsayapenos, mainstreets are close to any vechicle and all public transport is rerouted. The street dancing is accompanied different float who participated in annual festival celebration of the town. The street dancing will end in the Notre Dame of Midsayap College ( the first Notre Dame school in Asia ).

Municipality of Midsayap

 The municipality of Midsayap is located on the Southwestern portion of the Province of Cotabato. It is bounded by municipality Libungan, the Rio Grande de Mindanao, Aleosan and other different municipalities.

Having  land area of 33,038.7869 hectares comprising 57 barangays and having a good soil, this municipality has a land suitable for different crop production like rice corn and other crops. The place is also best for fishponds and other recreational activities because this place comprises some wet lands.

Midsayap is also rich in tradition and celebration and one  of this the Halad Festival, which is celebrated every third sunday of the month of January.  This celebration is one of the pride of Midsayapenos.