Sagada Etag Festival slated Jan 29 to Feb 2

Stakeholders promote the Sagada town fiesta with its Etag Festival. Here, Tourism Regional Director Purificacion Molintas leads the ceremonial toast with (L-R) brew master Richard Abellon, Sagada Vice Mayor Richard Yodong and Councilor Kapon Gomgom-o. -- Redgie Melvic Cawis

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- This tourist town will hold its Etag Festival on Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, the last day in celebration of the Purification of the blessed Virgin Mary.

Executive chairman of the event vice mayor Richard Yodong said, the town fiesta would promote local products of etag (smoked/dried meat), coffee , locally made wines and woven products.

Theme is “Nurturing our common origin amidst converging cultures.”

Etag is a traditional delicacy made of smoked or dried meat particularly pork.
Etag is cooked with pinikpikan, a cultural delicacy of chicken meat.

Pinikpikan is cooked with etag during any occasion here by residents and elsewhere in Mountain Province.

This delicacy is cooked during weddings, baptisms, graduations, agricultural celebrations like begnas, and during family gatherings.

Eating pinikpikan with etag goes along with prayers to Kabunian (God) asking for good health, long life, prosperity, and good harvest.

Coffee cupping also finds attention during the fiesta celebration conducted by the Sagada Coffee Council, the Department of Agriculture of the Sagada government and the Montanosa Research Development Center.

The popular Sagada coffee to be packaged as Sagada Gold shall see demonstration on how this shall be roasted, grounded and packaged.

Currently, Sagada has some 7,000 coffee bearing trees with some 50,000 trees to be ready for harvesting by three to five years time, data from the Department of Agriculture reveals.

Sagada coffee is sold in Bontoc, Baguio and Manila and in the town poblacion.

Ethnic musical compositions with theme on environment, culture and indigenous peoples shall be performed by high school students night of Jan. 29.

An ethnic music concert shall follow after. Organized by the Sagada Rhymes and Rythms in cooperation with MRDC and the local government unit, the initiative aims to promote original music creations in conjunction with values on culture and environmental protection.

Other local musicians shall also be rendering their ethnic music compositions along with Kordilyera Jam based in Baguio City.

Of particular relevance is the Search for Ms Sagada with the candidates’ modeling ethnic wear and apparel made in the town night of Jan. 30.

Sagada hosts a number of weaver-entrepreneurs including the popular Sagada Weaving established in the 80s.

Annual cultural activities including street dancing shall be observed on the first day on Jan. 29. Cultural presentations performed by delegates from the 19 barangays of the town shall be done at the softball grounds.

Indigenous games including tug-of-war follows on Feb. 2.

Sagada is a popular tourist destination attracting as many as 25,000 visitors a year mostly domestic tourists from around the country.

Municipal data in 2008 listed at least 24,000 tourists with 75 percent tourists from the Philippines and the rest from Europe, USA, and Asia.

Major attractions of the town include Sumaguing Cave, Bumod-ok Falls, and the Hanging Coffins.