Seeking evidence on climate-linked shifts in festival phenology and their impacts on Philippine intangible cultural heritage
Several Philippine festivals and communal rites are anchored-explicitly or implicitly-to agricultural and ecological calendars (e.g., harvest, flowering, fishing seasons), yet observed changes in rainfall onset, temperature, and extreme events appear to be decoupling biological timing from fixed civic or liturgical schedules. Examples often cited include:
- Pahiyas (Lucban, May 15), where humidity and harvest timing affect kiping production and display quality.
- Panagbenga (Baguio, February), where warming trends and rainfall variability influence temperate flower yields and sourcing.
- Kadayawan (Davao, August), whose fruit and flower abundance can vary with ENSO phases.
- Pista’y Dayat (Pangasinan, May 1), intersecting with fisheries seasonality and coastal hazard management.
Requesting practitioner insights, datasets, and case documentation on the following:
Empirical signals: Have LGUs, festival committees, growers, or cultural bearers documented measurable shifts (e.g., harvest dates, bloom windows, catch composition) that affect festival content or scheduling? What indicators are tracked (PAGASA rainfall onset, degree-days, phenology logs, PSA price/volume series), and what thresholds trigger contingency plans?
Adaptation strategies: What operational changes are being implemented (e.g., greenhouse or shade-net use, cold-chain logistics, alternate crop varieties, early planting, dehydrators for kiping, curated/loaned displays, rescheduling subsidiary events, material substitutions)? How are these decisions governed and funded at the barangay, municipal, or festival-foundation level?
Authenticity and continuity: Using UNESCO/NCCA intangible cultural heritage frameworks, how are stakeholders defining acceptable adaptation versus loss of cultural integrity? Are there documented criteria or community-agreed matrices for “adaptive continuity” (e.g., preserving function and meaning while altering material inputs)?
Governance and norm conflicts: For patronal feasts fixed by the liturgical calendar, what mechanisms exist to reconcile ecological timing with canonical schedules (e.g., moving agricultural exhibits while retaining the feast day)? Are there diocesan guidelines or CBCP advisories addressing climate-induced practicalities in processions, novenas, or vow fulfillment (panata)?
Risk, safety, and environmental compliance: How are heat risk, extreme rainfall, and typhoon probabilities integrated into crowd management, parade design, and material choices? Have single-use plastic ordinances, waste audits, or environmental impact requirements altered traditional crafting practices, and with what cultural trade-offs?
Economic impacts: Are there quantitative assessments of how phenological mismatch affects tourism receipts, vendor margins, and farm-gate prices during festival periods? Any time-series or difference-in-differences studies linking climate anomalies to festival outcomes?
Knowledge management: Are there repositories (LGU archives, state colleges/universities, NCCA projects) aggregating phenology-festival data, standard operating procedures, or after-action reports? What data standards would facilitate cross-festival comparison?
Pointers to ordinances, program reports, theses, or grey literature are highly valuable. Firsthand accounts from organizers, growers, and cultural leaders describing decision criteria and trade-offs are especially welcome.