4,000 Pinoys, Austrians join European 'barrio fiesta'

Some 4,000 Filipinos, Austrians, and other nationalities trooped to the "barrio fiesta" in Austria this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. The DFA said the Council of Filipino Associations in Austria organized the event in cooperation with the Embassy of the Philippines at the Sportplatz ATV Liesing in Vienna. The event served as a venue to showcase Philippine culture, arts and tourism, the DFA said in a news release. "The fiesta's top attraction was the food bazaar, where mouth-watering dishes gave Filipinos and other guests a savory treat of native Filipino dishes," the DFA said. Stalls offered groceries, souvenir items, real estate investment opportunities in the Philippines, tours and travel packages, cargo-forwarding and money remittance services, the DFA added. During the event, the Philippine Embassy booth also displayed posters of popular scenic spots of the country, including the Puerto Princesa Underground River, which is the official entry of the Philippines to the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest. Meanwhile, another highlight of the Barrio Fiesta was the graduation ceremony of the annual Páaralán sa Pásuguán (Schule in der Botschaft). This year's graduates included of 18 Filipino-Austrian children aged 5 to 18. The graduates performed a musical number of "Lupang Hinirang," "Bahay Kubo" and "Paru-Parung Bukid," and a dance interpretation of Ba-Ingles, derived from the words "Bai le" and "Ingles" and brought to the Philippines in the early days by English tradesmen. - VVP, GMA News