Sagada, Mt. Province – How about taking Sagada’s Etag Festival to a whole new level by setting Guinness World Record for the “longest Etag parade”?
This was the challenge of Provincial Director Evelyn Trinidad of Department of the Interior and Local Government – Mt. Province to the local government unit of Sagada in her talk during the celebration of Etag Festival held from Feb. 2 to 5.
Sagada Mayor Felicito Dula welcomes the dare but said they need to have a thorough preparation to overcome obstacles that they expect to face.
The local term “etag” is pork meat preserved through salting, smoking over a low fire, or sun-drying.
With it becoming an important part of the life of ySagadas, especially in rituals for different occasions, the Etag Festival was conceptualized in line with Sagada’s fiesta and has been celebrated annually since 2010.
In 2020, however, the festival was put on hold due to COVID-19 pandemic.
This 2023, what is considered as a major crowd-drawing event returns in full blast, featuring the cultural heritage of ySagadas.
Centered on the theme, “Napigsa ay Kultura ya Pammati, Wedweday Igabay ya Isikan di Umili,” the celebration started with a civic parade, followed by a mass and opening program at the Softball ground.
Representatives of Senator Robinhood Padilla, along with Regional Director of DOT-CAR, Jovita Ganongan; Atty. Jennilyn M. Dawayan representing DA-CAR Regional Director and Guest Speaker, Cameron Odsey; Office of Civil Defence Regional Director, Albert A. Mogo among other officials and guest graced the festival’s opening.
In his keynote message, Odsey underscored the town’s potentials that can be achieved with support.
Ribbon cutting of the Agro-Gastro-Industrial Trade Fair and launching of the Sagada Tourism Tagline, #discoversagadadiscoveryourself were simultaneously conducted in the afternoon.
Cultural showdown of the 19 barangays in town as well as the Battle of the Bands, literary music, rituals, and indigenous games such as tug-of-war (Ginuyudan) were highlight in the succeeding days.
The local government plans to publish the traditions in a book as basis of the next generations.
Mayor Dula stressed the celebration aimed cultural preservation, especially with the modern era.
“Tapnu maipasagepsep iti next generation tapnu han kuma nga malipatan iti kultura… iti daytoy nga Etag Festival, kanayun nga iti highlights na talaga ket iti kultura isunga kanayun tayo nga araramiden daytor tapnu dagitoy sumarsarunu nga henerasyon ket itululoy da met,” he said.
LISTEN TO STATION 1 RADIO: CLICK ME
.png)
Comments