Pintaflores Festival – 3 day of celebration of arts & culture festival added by competitions and exhibitions. Culminated by Street dancing and Ritual Competition from various contingents of the city they’re all painted with flowers on their bodies, and dancing with the rhythmic beats. Held annually on Nov. 3-5 in time with the celebration of Negros Day and the feast of St. Charles Borromeo, patron saint of the city.
The Legend of Pintaflores by: Joe Recalex C. Alingasa, Jr. In the early times of the Pre-Hispanic Era there was once an astute and beautiful princess who fled together with her tribe to a lush and green coastal valley at the northeastern part of Buglas (Negros). As she reaches her new abode after a few months she was afflicted with a strange illness which is incurable during her time. So worried of the princess's predicament, the tribesmen seek the aid of a babaylan (native priestess) who reckoned that the absence of flowers makes Princess Nabingka deeply saddened and eventually got sick.
To appease the babaylan all men, women and children of the tribe planted flowers but these didn't grow due to the humid atmosphere and the scorching heat of the sun. Anxious of the health of the princess, as the ultimate recourse, the babaylan finally summoned all tribespeople to tattoo their bodies with flower or floral accents in lieu of the usual tribal patterns. Amazingly, before the naked eyes of the babaylan and tribespeople, Princess Nabingka recuperated and gained back her youthful prowess and glee. As a gesture of thanksgiving the entire tribe threw a feast while they dance in magnanimity and this time with their bodies tattooed with flower designs.
Upon the arrival of some Spanish conquestadores to the place they discovered this tribe with the unique ritual which they refer to as "Pintados de Flores" or people with flower tattoos. In the advent of early civilization the place became a thriving Christian village and was popularly called Nabingkalan in honor of Princess Nabingka while the dance drama was later on dubbed as Pintaflores.
