PH Embassy in Tehran Holds Fiesta Filipinas: Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival with ASEAN Ladies Circle

Philippine Ambassador-Designate to Tehran Roberto G. Manalo (center) is joined by the members of the ASEAN Ladies Circle. (Tehran PE photo)

TEHRAN CITY, 15 March 2023 — In celebration of the National Arts Month in February, the Philippine Embassy in Tehran brought Leyte’s Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival to the members of the ASEAN Ladies Circle (ALC) in Tehran on 22 February 2023.

Participated by 18 ALC members from the Embassies in Tehran of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, the activity, led by Cultural Officer Kathleen Salonga, showcased Pintados hand painting, simulating the art of batok (tattooing), unboxing of the Fiesta Filipinas kits from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, and culminated with the Pintados-Kasadyaan dancing.

In his welcome remarks, Philippine Ambassador-Designate to Tehran Roberto G. Manalo said, "It is fitting that we are celebrating Tacloban, Leyte's  Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival today for February is the National Arts Month in the Philippines and the Pintados-Kasadyaan is a combined celebration of the traditions of the Pintados warriors or painted warriors, who used to tattoo their bodies as form of body art to showcase their tribal identity and kinship, as well as bravery, beauty, and social or wealth status, and the feast of Señor Santo Niño de Leyte. The carving and dressing of the Santo Niño statuettes has evolved into an art form. Artisans bedecked the Santo Niño with intricate gold crowns encrusted with precious stones and dressed them in the finest fabrics with exquisite embroidery."

Filipino dishes such as pancit (sauteed rice noodles), lumpia (spring rolls), empanada (pastry with savory filling), along with other ASEAN dishes, provided a fitting climax to the celebration. 

The Coffee-Morning is a regular activity of the ALC in Tehran, composed of the spouses of the Heads of Mission to Tehran of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as female officers and diplomatic staff of the ASEAN embassies in Tehran. END

Cultural Officer Kathleen Salonga led the cultural activities which included unboxing of the Fiesta Filipinas kits, and Pintados-Kasadyaan hand painting and dancing. (Tehran PE photo)

Members of the ALC simulate the art of batok (tattooing) with stamps and water-base make-up. (Tehran PE photo)

ALC Members showcased their Pintados-inspired hand paintings. (Tehran PE photo)

Ambassador Manalo (second row, center) together with the members of the ALC showcasing their Pintados-inspired tattoos. (Tehran PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.tehranpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinIran/ or https://www.instagram.com/phliniran/.