Cordillera’s exciting, festivals boost culture

By Edison Joseph Gonzales

CORDILLERA, the country’s gateway to Northern Luzon’s natural wonders, is promoting the distinct culture and colorful traditions of its indigenous peoples through a showcase of the premier and iconic festivals and events of the provinces that make up the region.
    Christina Garcia Frasco, Department of Tourism (DOT) secretary, said the Cordillera Festival of Festivals Show is an impactful and exciting event that is perfectly aligned with the DOT goals of inclusive, participatory and sustainable tourism.
    Faustino Atiwag Olowan, Baguio City vice mayor, said the show is very timely as the region and its people demonstrate to the Philippines and the rest of the world that they are now ready for tourism, learning from their past and looking forward to a brighter future.
    The major festivals being held in the vibrant provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province, including Baguio City, feature dances, songs, chants about life and good harvest and the simple way of life rooted in love for fellow Cordillerans and respect for Mother Nature.
    The Laga Festival is a celebration of the municipality of Lagayan’s abundance of bamboo as well as the products made from it. Held every second week of March, the Laga Festival is relatively new compared to the other festivals in Abra but has since grown in popularity thanks to the various activities that are part of the celebration – the culture of the Ilocanos and the Tingguians are highlighted through songs, dances and their unique bamboo products.
    The Say-Am Festival is Apayao’s grandest festival in celebration of the province’s founding anniversary. It is a half-month-long celebration that highlights various activities such as sports competitions, indigenous games, street dance, musical and dance contest, agro-industrial trade fair and tourism exhibit, and the search for the loveliest Dayag ti Apayao.
    The Adivay Festival is done with exchanging pleasantries and partaking in meat, root crops and drinks. Often the celebration lasts from dusk until dawn to dusk, with chants, dancing and sharing of food, resources and land with other villages and tribes. That made the people’s land more abundant and productive. Adivay was elevated to a higher level of giving thanks to Kabunian, the source of everything.
    The Gotad Ad Ifugao, an annual cultural festival of the province of Ifugao, is conducted with the primordial goal to promote, protect, preserve and perpetuate the Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practice of the Ifugao People. It serves as a venue to promote camaraderie and foster unity between and among the people of Ifugao.
    The Gotad Ad Ifugao highlights a milestone of the province’s history and coincides with the celebration of the foundation day of the province, which is on June 18, by virtue of Republic Act 9646 (Division Law of Mountain Province). It is a weeklong celebration featuring an array of activities such as cultural parade, float contest, performing arts competition, ethnic skill completion and indigenous culinary competition, to name a few.
    The celebration culminates with the conduct of “Punhidaan,” wherein all the people attending the celebration share a common public lunch. After the celebration, it is anticipated with much hope that they rekindle the common aspiration to preserve their culture and collectively move forward for the attainment of an inclusive growth.
    The Bodong Festival, a celebration of the province of Kalinga’s founding anniversary which falls on the 14th of February, is a showcase of the province’s unique culture, practices, songs, dances and indigenous products. “Bodong” is a unique peace-making system of the Kalingas of Northern Luzon.
    Forging relationships, resolving conflicts and fostering peaceful co-existence, Bodong is a unique socio-cultural and economic institution conceived and painstakingly developed through the centuries out of a need for collective security – the basis for binding viable communities which sprung from their ardent desire to live in peace and social security and with the belief of advancing toward economic prosperity and social stability if peace is achieved.
    Bodong also promotes the development and preservation of a cultural heritage that speaks of a distinctive ethnic identity.
    The Lang-Ay Festival was born in a bid to call attention to Mountain Province’s rich and diverse culture as well as people’s pride for their God-given wonders and gifts. The event is celebrated annually in the first week of April.
Within the duration of any festivity, whenever one hears groups engage in conversations, jokes or anecdotes, their topics boil down to the fruits of the land; and prayers to “Kabunyan” for good harvest, health and prosperity for the ensuing seasons.
    Panagbenga, a Kankanaey term meaning “season of blooming,” is an annual flower festival celebrated every February which takes place in Baguio City. This festival reflects the history, traditions and values of Baguio and the Cordilleras, and lasts over a month. It flourishes through community spirit involvement.
    The region celebrated the Indigenous People Month by showcasing the very first Cordillera Festival of Festival Shows. The event was highlighted by the presentation of the various festivals being celebrated in the different areas of the region.
    The celebration is meant to epitomize cultural tourism and the uniqueness of the Filipino heritage that could help pave the way for the revival of interest to revisit the northern tourist destinations.