Sunday, May 29, 2011

...the tulip festival

DFA: PHL 'blooms' at 2011 Canadian Tulip Festival

The Philippines shone in the recently concluded 2011 Canadian Tulip Festival at Major's Hill Park in Ottawa from May 13 to 23.


The Philippines was among the more than 20 countries represented at the Festival's International Pavilion, Food Bazaar and International Friendship stage.

"Organized by the Embassy, Philippine participation projected the Philippine Subterranean River National Park, products, cuisine, culture and tourism including the country's UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Vigan and Puerto Princesa," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Sunday.

It said festival visitors sampled Filipino delicacies such as pansit, adobo, and lumpia. They bought Philippine souvenirs including t-shirts and accessories.

At the International Friendship Stage, weekend audiences of over 3,000 people found delightful the performances of the Pamana ng LuzViMinda Dance Troupe of Montreal on May 15, the Pamana Cultural Dance Troupe on May 21 and the Himig Choral Ensemble on May 21, the DFA said.


Now on its 59th year, the Canadian Tulip Festival is the largest of its kind in the world.

This year's theme, "Kaleidoscope," was a celebration of spring awakening through color, culture and community.

The festival began after the Second World War when Princess Juliana of the Netherlands presented Ottawa with 100,000 tulip bulbs as a token of friendship.

Canada provided asylum to the Dutch royal family during the war and played a strong role in the Netherlands' liberation.

The Netherlands continues to give Ottawa 20,000 tulip bulbs every year in this annual celebration of international friendship.

It has become one of Canada's best loved and well known cultural events attended by hundreds of thousands of visitors from North America, Europe and Asia every spring. — LBG, GMA News

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