Panaad Festival is one of the most unique Holy Week rituals in the Philippines held in the island province of Camiguin in northern Mindanao. Literally meaning “promise”, it is a 64-kilometer penitential walk and pilgrimage around the province’s circumferential road held from Holy Wednesday to Black Saturday and draws thousands of domestic and foreign visitors.

The highlight of the ritual is the ascent to the Walkway to the Old Volcano in Catarman town where there are 15 life-size Stations of the Cross where devotees pray and meditate along the way. People can do the Panaad walk at their own pacings solo, with family or friends, or as part of an organized pilgrimage group.

The province also observes other traditional events, such as the Maundy Thursday Washing of the Feet, the Good Friday Seven Last Words and Procession, and the Resurrection Sunday dawn “salubong”.

After the religious observances, locals and tourists hop around Camiguin’s iconic destinations such as the White Island Sandbar, Katibawasan and Tuasan Falls, Sunken Cemetery, Mantigue Island, and the rejuvenating pools of Ardent Spring, Sto. Niño Cold Springs, or Soda Spring.