The town of Guiuan celebrates the first landing of Ferdinand Magellan in the province of Eastern Samar, particularly in the island of Homonhon. This festival is a tribute to Ferdinand Magellan who "discovered" the Philippines and put it in the pedestal of fame as a country with rich natural resources and exotic but hospitable people.

Short History

On March 16, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan first landed in the Island of Homonhon in Eastern Samar.

During the first circumnavigation of the globe, the three ships of Ferdinand Magellan passed the Marianas but even though he was out of food after crossing the Pacific Ocean, he still did not land to get some food. He docked in Homonhon on March 16, 1521 and managed to get food and water. The island was still uninhabited that time, thus the common misconception that Magellan "discovered" the Philippines, instead of just finding it. He was seen by the boats of Rajah Culambo of Limasawa, an ally of the Rajah of Cebu, and so he was directed to Cebu on April 7.

In addition, the Pigafetta which is the speaker of Magellan’s ship, describe the island of Homonhon:

"We found two fountains of very clear water; we called it the `Waters of Good Signs,’ having found the first sign of gold in the said island. There also can be found much white coral and tall trees that bear fruits smaller than an almond and look like pines. There were also many palm trees, some of the good kind, some of the bad. Thereabouts are many neighboring islands. Hence, we called them the St. Lazarus Archipelago because we stayed there on the day and feast of St. Lazarus."

He named Homonhon and the rest of "The Archipelago of St. Lazarus" after St. Lazarus whose feast day falls on March 17. "Humumu" was the original name of the island before, but now it was became Homonhon.

Activities

The celebration in the town is very historical because of the various artifacts displayed in the place. Also, the trade fair and presentation of the local products in the city are intended to attract the buyers and investors.

Furthermore, the event starts by celebrating the holy mass. The next event is the opening of exhibits at the Guiuan Plaza. These exhibits are an array of the best products of various municipalities of Eastern Samar.

Also, this is the list of other activities held in the festival:

• Medical and Dental mission
• The search for Miss Homonhon
• Cultural activities
• Re-enactment of the discovery of the Philippines in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan
• The commemorative program
  

The purpose of the festival is to bundle the Filipino culture and even in good times or bad times, the celebration must go on. A weeklong celebration in the city was surely wipe away your boredom and tiredness.

How to get there

By Boat

From Manila, super ferry is serving a route Manila- Cebu City. From Cebu city you can choose either Cebu Ferries or the Supercat going to Ormoc, from there travelling to Tacloban and Borongan. From Borangan you can ride a jeep with 100php fare to Guiuan.

By Bus

From Manila, various bus companies like Philtranco and Eagle Star are providing an air-conditioned or ordinary bus directly to Guiuan for 1150 – 1400 which includes ferry ticket from Manila to Samar.

By Air

There are flights from Manila to Tacloban City by Philippine Airlines or Cebu Pacific.  From the airport take a jeep going to the town and from the town, you can ride a jeep to Guiuan.