BESAO, Mountain Province – The municipal government lined up simple but meaningful activities to celebrate the ‘Linapet’ festival in barangay Gueday and in preparation for the documentation of the Gueday stone calendar as an important cultural property by representatives from the National Museum.
The ‘Linapet’ festival activities will kick off on September 29, 2019 where residents and guests can participate in the actual demonstration and hands-on experience of the ‘linapet-making’ process to be held at the Gueday barangay grounds from 8 am to 12 noon.
‘Linapet’ is ground rice with fillings of crushed peanuts and wrapped with banana leaves. Households cook this tasty delicacy and share it with relatives and friends to observe the September Festival, share good tidings and be reminded of respect and cultural camaraderie among the people.
Registration fee for the ‘linapet-making’ demonstration is P50 for adults and P25 for students.
On Monday, September 30, 2019, participants to the annual trek to the Gueday stone calendar will assemble at the municipal gymnasium at around 4:30 am prior to the sunrise viewing with coffee and ‘linapet ’at the said stone calendar.
It has been an age-old tradition for elder men to gather at dap-ay Awaw at the northern village of Agawa to observe the rising of the sun at Ambaon Bato of Langsayan and announce the Feast of the Linapet when the sun’s rays hits the stone.
The theme of this year’s ‘linapet’ festival is ‘Tinawid ya Kinabanol di Dowa Itdo Isnan Kaungan-unga.’
Representatives of the National Museum will be in town to document the history of the Gueday stone calendar and the ‘linapet’ festival and turnover to the barangay and municipal governments the appropriate certification declaring the stone calendar as an important cultural property which must be preserved and protected by the people in the municipality.
The National Museum will be providing a marker for the cultural property which will be unveiled and blessed during the program that had been prepared for the said event in the municipality.
Mayor Johnson Bantog II expressed his gratitude to the National Museum for working out the documentation of the history of the Gueday stone calendar and the ‘linapet’ festival because it will be a big boost to the town’s local tourism industry once the same will be placed in the list of important cultural properties that are located in the different parts of the country.
He admitted one of the town’s major thrusts is for the aggressive promotion of its existing tourist spots like the Gueday stone calendar and its recognition as one of the important cultural properties of the State will pave the way for the significant growth in tourist arrivals for those wanting to explore other tourist spots not only in the municipality but also in the different parts of the province considering that Mountain Province is a destination for nature lovers.
By HENT