Senator Loren Legarda invites everyone to watch the fifth season of “Dayaw”, which will premiere on June 21, Thursday, at 6 PM on the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC).

The six-part award-winning cultural documentary program that focuses on the rich and vibrant culture and living traditions of the Filipinos is a partnership between ANC and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and conceptualized and hosted by Legarda.

With the theme “Pasasalamat,” this season will tackle the various forms of celebrations and rituals of thanksgiving that have defined our many cultures, as the program continues to promote love and respect for Filipinos’ rich culture and indigenous heritage.

“Season 5 of Dayaw explores the unique way of how Filipinos celebrate, worship and give thanks in observance of various festivity and customs all over the country. We often see these parts of our culture as a form of entertainment, without realizing that it brings out a strong sense of national identity,” Legarda said.

The fifth season’s first episode explores two icons intertwined with the ways we worship and survive: the Nuestro Señor Cristo Nazareno, who embodies our sufferings, patience and endurance; and the Santo Niño, who embodies our optimism, joy, and child-like exuberance.

The second episode examines the Cuaresma, the tradition of pain and redemption of Lent undertaken by faithful Filipino Christians. The audience will get to understand the performative aspects of the rituals within the Cuaresma like chanting, singing, and theatrics that serves as a backdrop for folk art and artistry.

In the third episode, the documentary tackles the Buklog, a rarely performed communal ritual of the Subanen of Mindanao. It is a a tradition anchored on indigenous traditions and animistic expression of thanks and prayer whose date changes depending on important milestones in the community’s life.

The fourth episode will take on the harvest rituals in different parts of Luzon in celebration of our agricultural heritage rooted in our respect and care for the environment. Scientists, agriculturalists, and farmers share the marriage of science and folk wisdom as the audience get to witness the traditions of planting seasons still being practiced today.

Meanwhile, the fifth episode will focus on the Dayaw team traveling to Marawi in time for the sacred celebration of Eid’l Fitr in the midst of post-war restoration. The team will explore the Maranao’s culture rooted in the historic city as the people of Marawi rebuild their lives after the siege that took place last year.

Lastly, the final episode of Dayaw Season 5 will feature a significant icon in the Filipino Catholic community, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, known to devotees as a source of succor and consolation. The documentary tackles her role as a personal symbol of identity and sees how the Catholic traditions of Spain became uniquely and distinctly Filipino through her.

“What do we—as Christians, as Animists, as Islamic Filipinos—value most? And how do we mark our years to show our collective aspirations? Join us as we discover the many ways in which we give thanks, celebrate, and value the sense of a common heritage and a shared past that distinguish our national identity as people of this historic land,” Legarda said.

In the past seasons, Sen. Loren, NCCA’s Dangal ng Haraya Patron of Arts and Culture awardee, featured master craftsmen, “materyales fuertes” (materials that build a nation), and indigenous arts and beliefs. The Fifth Season of Dayaw will be shown every Thursday, starting June 21, 2018, 6:00 pm, on the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) with livestreaming on‪ abs-cbnnews.com/live and the channel’s official Facebook page (@ANCalerts).  For updates, follow @abscbnpr on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.