MassKara: A Colorful Festival in the Philippines

2025.11.17
Writer / 記事を書いた人
Jake
the Philippines(フィリピン)

I’m Jake from the Philippines. I enjoy watching anime, playing video games, and exploring new places. I also like joining fun events and sharing about life in my country.

Article

MassKara: A Colorful Festival in the Philippines

▼ 記事の音声を再生

<Let's learn!>
・used to
・suffer from
・even though
=====================================

Have you heard about festivals in the Philippines? Festivals are a big part of life in the Philippines. I love going to festivals. The one I enjoyed the most is the MassKara Festival in Bacolod City.

Bacolod is a coastal city in the Philippines. It used to have a big sugar industry. But what happened in the past? The price of sugar fell a lot, and people suffered from poverty and hunger.

To cheer people up and help them overcome this sad situation, they started the MassKara Festival. Now, it has become a big, famous festival! Many people from all over the world come to join it.

Do you know what "MassKara" means? "Mass" means "many people" in English, and "Kara(Cara)" means "face" in Spanish. People wear big smiling masks and dance happily in the streets. The music is loud, and everyone is full of energy. It makes me happy to see people dancing and smiling during the celebration. I have loved the MassKara Festival since I was a child.

Even though I am in Japan now, I want to join the festival again if I have time. The festival shows the joyful spirit and strong tradition of my hometown. Have you ever been to a festival like this?

日本語訳を見る

Key Points

Repeat each word(s) and example sentence(s) after your teacher/tutor.

Key Phrases 重要表現

used to

かつて~していた、(以前は)~だった

My father used to play baseball.

suffer from

~で苦しむ、~に悩む

Many people suffer from hay fever in spring.

even though

~だけれども、たとえ~でも

Even though I was very tired, I finished my homework last night.

Key Vocabulary 重要単語・熟語

coastal

ˈkoʊ.stəl

海岸沿いの、沿岸の

形容詞

positioned on, or relating to the coast

We visited a small coastal town.

industry

ˈɪn·də·stri

産業、工業

名詞

the companies and activities involved in the process of producing goods for sale, especially in a factory or special area

The tourism industry is important for this island.

cheer … up

tʃɪr

…を元気づける、励ます

動詞

to give a loud shout of approval or encouragement

Her friends visited her to cheer her up when she was sad.

overcome

ˌoʊ.vɚˈkʌm

乗り越える、克服する

動詞

to defeat or succeed in controlling or dealing with something

He overcame his weakness.

situation

ˌsɪtʃ.uˈeɪ.ʃən

状況、事態

名詞

the set of things that are happening and the conditions that exist at a particular time and place

We need to find the best solution for this difficult situation.

energy

ˈen.ɚ.dʒi

元気、活力、エネルギー

名詞

the power and ability to be physically and mentally active

Children have endless energy to play all day.

joyful

ˈdʒɔɪ.fəl

楽しい、喜びに満ちた

形容詞

very happy

Christmas is a joyful time of year.

celebration

ˌsel.əˈbreɪ.ʃən

お祝い、祝賀会

名詞

a special social event, such as a party, when you celebrate something

We had a big celebration for my sister's graduation.

poverty

ˈpɑː.vɚ.t̬i

貧困、貧しさ

名詞

the condition of being extremely poor

The organization works to help people living in poverty.

hunger

ˈhʌŋ.ɡɚ

飢え、空腹

名詞

the feeling you have when you need to eat

Many countries are trying to solve the problem of world hunger.

Practice

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.

My brother (___)(___) play the guitar every day.

ヒント:used to

回答を見る

My brother (used)(to) play the guitar every day.

My grandfather (___)(___) back pain.

ヒント:suffer from

回答を見る

My grandfather (suffers)(from) back pain.

(___)(___) the test was difficult, she passed it.

ヒント:even though

回答を見る

(Even)(though) the test was difficult, she passed it.

Article

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your teacher/tutor.

MassKara: A Colorful Festival in the Philippines

<Let's learn!>
・used to
・suffer from
・even though
=====================================

Have you heard about festivals in the Philippines? Festivals are a big part of life in the Philippines. I love going to festivals. The one I enjoyed the most is the MassKara Festival in Bacolod City.

Bacolod is a coastal city in the Philippines. It used to have a big sugar industry. But what happened in the past? The price of sugar fell a lot, and people suffered from poverty and hunger.

To cheer people up and help them overcome this sad situation, they started the MassKara Festival. Now, it has become a big, famous festival! Many people from all over the world come to join it.

Do you know what "MassKara" means? "Mass" means "many people" in English, and "Kara(Cara)" means "face" in Spanish. People wear big smiling masks and dance happily in the streets. The music is loud, and everyone is full of energy. It makes me happy to see people dancing and smiling during the celebration. I have loved the MassKara Festival since I was a child.

Even though I am in Japan now, I want to join the festival again if I have time. The festival shows the joyful spirit and strong tradition of my hometown. Have you ever been to a festival like this?

Questions

Answer the questions based on the article.

Which festival did Jake enjoy the most?

ヒント:He enjoyed ~

回答を見る

He enjoyed the MassKara Festival the most.

Why did people start the MassKara Festival?

ヒント:To cheer people up and ~

回答を見る

To cheer people up and help them overcome this sad situation (of poverty and hunger).

What does "MassKara" means?

ヒント:"Mass" means ~

回答を見る

"Mass" means "many people" in English, and "Kara(Cara)" means "face" in Spanish.

Discussion

Let’s have a discussion about the theme with your teacher/tutor or classmates.

With your teacher/tutor 先生とのディスカッション

Have you ever been to any dance festivals?

Yes, I have. I went to ~./ No I haven't.

What do you think is fun about festivals, and why?

I think ~ is fun. Because ~.

Would you like to visit the MassKara Festival one day, and why?

Yes, I would./ No, I wouldn't.
Because ~.

With your classmates クラスメートとのディスカッション

If you had to recommend a festival to a tourist, what would it be, and why?

I would recommend ~. Because ~.

Do you have any overseas festivals you want to experience?

Yes, I do./ No, I don't.
If yes → I want to experience ~.

If you were to hold a festival, what kind of festival would you want to hold?

I would want to hold ~.