Pasko na!

Netnet Camomot .

THE Uptown Higalaay Pyrofest of SM City Cagayan de Oro (CDO) at the Pueblo Grounds did start at 9 pm on the fiesta day itself, Aug. 28. And then it stopped about 10 minutes later. Then, it resumed. Then, stopped. And resumed again. And stopped again. What’s going on? Talk of, hmmm, bitin.

It was only when my cousins told us it’s a contest that we learned it’s, well, a contest. A big duh hovered above my head and it stayed there until I arrived home at 12 midnight.

We were downtown for the city fiesta and left for the uptown area at 7:30 pm.

We reached the Pueblo Grounds at 8 pm but decided to wait for the pyrofest at the Blugre Coffee near SM uptown. And, after the fiesta lunch, fiesta merienda and fiesta dinner, there I was, ordering durian coffeecino grande and chicken adobo cheesemelt panini. I wasn’t exactly hungry. But what to do during a one-hour wait for a pyrofest? Eat pa more, of course.

The pyrofest attracts a massive crowd and this year’s event was no exception—that’s one reason I avoid going out of the house on the day of the fiesta unless a friend’s invite is too delish to resist. A massive crowd means massive traffic jams but, thanks to Blugre, we didn’t notice the hours passing by as we waited for the traffic to ease after the pyrofest.

Good thing cops were not strictly imposing the anti-loitering law that night. What’s the definition of loitering, by the way? Because some downtown CDO streets and sidewalks on the night of the fiesta were filled with people who were in the mood to eat, drink and be merry. The fiesta was probably an exception to the rule.

Anyway, here’s the pyrofest review: Wow!

And here’s the fiesta’s morning after: a three-pound weight gain. Yay. Fiesta pa more.

Like the Christmas season, New Year and Valentine’s Day, a fiesta is indeed one more reason to indulge.

And in case you were hibernating in Siberia, here’s FYI: the Christmas season in Pinas officially began on Saturday. Yay!

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven,” the Bible says. So, start buying gifts in September—“One step at a time, one day at a time,” as the saying goes. Which the fiesta celebrant, who braved through the Higalaay Pyrofest, could relate with as he tried to squeeze himself or his car into or out of the maddening crowd on Tuesday night—an inch at a time, an hour at a time. Whew.

We did wonder why cell phone signals were not cut off that night, like what happened for other fiesta activities—for security reasons. But that would have been a disaster for those trying to find their companions in that crowd and traffic, not being able to call and text each other while trying to find the best vantage point to watch the fireworks.

But having no cell phone signal didn’t exactly make a reclusive monk out of the Cagayanon who continued to communicate via WiFi. “Where there is a will, there is a way,” as another saying goes. Which could be used to describe Tuesday night’s crowd as they walked or drove to the Pueblo Grounds, complete with food, water and chairs. I didn’t know that’s how serious the fiesta celebrant could be in watching the pyrofest.

Weddings and other occasions tend to have their own fireworks moment at the clubhouse nearby, and I would simply wait for the moment to pass. Been there, done that, ho-hum.

Well, fiesta is so over once the lechon paksiw has been devoured and digested. It’s back to the diet in preparation for the Christmas season. Fish, veggies, fruits, water, and nuts—you know, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts. In other words, the edible nuts. In case your green mind is thinking of something else.

By the way, fruitcake, which is passed down from one generation to another, has nuts. If you’re brave enough to finally partake of the family’s heirloom fruitcake this year, ask for an approval first from the heritage conservation and national historical societies.

There will be fireworks again in December—for weddings, Christmas parties, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. As for firecrackers, hmmm, good luck na lang.