29 July 2013 -The annual Barrio Fiesta, organized by the Council of Filipino Associations in Austria (CFAA), in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy in Vienna, was held on July 20, at the Sportplatz ATV Liesing, Vienna.
The pleasant sunny weather contributed to the joyous celebration of the Barrio Fiesta. About 6,000 Filipinos, Austrians and other nationalities from all over Austria trooped to the venue this year, including Filipinos from Slovenia and the Slovak Republic. The event was a venue to showcase Philippine culture, cuisine, arts and tourism. The Philippine Embassy booth displayed posters of popular scenic spots of the country, including the Puerto Princesa Underground River, which is included in the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
In her message, Ambassador Lourdes O. Yparraguirre thanked the Filipino community that has remained a steadfast partner of the country in raising the profile of the Philippines abroad.
The participating organizations and groups, in their colorful costumes, participated in the cultural presentations.
The fiesta’s top attraction was the food bazaar, where mouth-watering dishes gave Filipinos and other guests a savory treat of native Filipino cuisine. Other stalls offered groceries, souvenir items, real estate investment opportunities in the Philippines, tours and travel packages, cargo-forwarding and money remittance services.
Another highlight of the Barrio Fiesta was the graduation ceremony of the annual Paaralan sa Pasuguan (Schule in der Botschaft). Running on its seventh year, this year’s crop of graduates was composed of 24 Filipino-Austrian children ages 3 to 20 years old. This year’s Paaralan was again blessed with a group of highly competent and focused volunteer teachers from the community: Mrs. Arlene Castañeda, Mrs. Milagros Peischl, Mrs. Ana Maria Langer, Mr. Philip Weninger and Mr. Rico Gomez. At the graduation ceremonies held during the Barrio Fiesta, the students performed a dance interpretation of Lapay Bantigue, to mimic the movement of lapay (seagulls) that are bountiful along the coast of Barangay Bantigue in Masbate City. END
