BONTOC, Mountain Province – The provincial government will be foregoing this year’s Lang-ay Festival as part of the ongoing strategies to further contain the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to pave the way for the gradual and safe revival of the province’s heavily impacted economy.
However, Gov. Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. disclosed a simple program will be held by the provincial government to celebrate the province’s founding anniversary on April 7, 2022 as part of the strategic approach to revive the economy of the province.
The governor will be convening the Lang-ay Festival committee to discuss how to go about the celebration of this year’s festivities that coincide with the province’s founding anniversary.
Lang-ay Festival is the foremost festival of Mountain Province, celebrated annually in Bontoc, the capital town which draws not only thousands of local and foreign tourists but also expats who trace their roots here. It has become the largest come-on of the province, showcasing the best of their cultural heritage.
Different indigenous peoples comprise the peoples of the Mountain Province and the Lang-ay Festival serves as a unifying occasion, strengthening peace and harmony among them.
Lang-ay is celebrated every first week of April, featuring street dancing, native chants and songs, traditional culinary specialties, and many more.
Traditional street dancing competition is one of the highlights of the Lang-ay Festival, wherein, cultural groups from the different municipalities showcase their performances on the street. Each performance usually features a folk story unique to the place.
The different tribes of Mt. Province were able to preserve much of their traditional songs and chants. These are portrayed during competitions as part of the Lang-ay Festival.
Lacwasan appealed to residents and tourists alike to understand the final decision of the concerned committee on this year’s Lang-ay festival and the celebration of the Mountain Province founding anniversary as the health and safety of people will be the utmost considerations as the global community is still reeling from the serious negative impact of the prevailing health crisis.
He urged the people to continue adhering to the minimum public health standards even if social and official gatherings will be allowed because it is still important to do so while the world is trying to transition to a new phase following the impact of the ongoing pandemic to the global economy that caused people to lose their jobs and economic activities over the past 2 years.
