Cordilleran Festival I

 

  Ipitik brings together all the cultural groups that have converged and live together in Baguo City. Ipitik emphasizes the fact that our city is a melting pot
filled to the brim with a bubbling stew

IPITIK FESTIVAL

When the cordilleran culture and modern art collaborate to form a festival   produces a unique and extravagant event seen here in the City of Pines, Baguio. The festivity is named as Ipitik festival. Ipitik comes from the Coldilleran tradition of a solemn act of offering the first drops of a newly opened jar of tapuy to Kabunian, the highest deity of the Cordilleras, and to the ancestors. The Ipitik Traditionally done by the mambunong, or shaman, the practice lives on today among many Cordillerans, young and old. When first opening a bottle of alcohol, be it tapuy, gin, wine, beer, vodka, or scotch, one whispers an invitation to the spirits to come and drink and spills a few drops of alcohol on the ground, or takes a symbolic sip on behalf of the spirits.

 Apart from the cultural background Ipitik festival is one of a kind, the spirit of cultural heritage and arts gives a breath taking and deep appreciation that will encourage you to join and be a part of the festivity.

The Ipitik festival showcased the Tapuy Master Brewer or Rice Wine Festival brings
together master brewers of tapuy from all over the region, each bearing a jar of his or her best brew and fortunately I taste some of their samples and have observed that rice wines have different taste, texture which will indulge you to drink more. Another event is the Pinikpikan Cook-Off from which  I saw HRM students cooking not only chicken, but also a native pig ( so this is not only pinikpikan cook-off  but also watwat cook off which ends up in having a tinola ) to feed hundreds.  On-The-Spot Woodcarving from different tribes in the cordillera is also featured from which they carved a ten feet wooden log, 15-20inch diameter and the 108 Gongs Performance Instead of having the traditional number of gong players and dancers, the Ipitik festival has 108 children playing gongs in unison and dancing with gusto to a beat that will most certainly outlive disco rhythms and dance your feet off. With the help of Axis Art Project, an art installation was build which showcases used clothing from Baguio youths, sewn together and will be assembled over a sturdy bamboo frame to form a tent which will house  Baguio Art Map. The venue for art workshops, dances, music, performance, for and art exhibits for the entire duration of festival.

 

Once the leader of the tribal group blows his horn, massive gong players come to play, dancing banging their ganza and all the crowd got amazed and want to join the 108 participants with complete Cordilleran attire. The exciting dance lasted for about 45 minutes and gives way to the celebration on the Ipitik festival.

 

Taste the native wine of the Codilleran some are sweet some are so strong others are smooth. The similarity are they are made of, gluttonous rice, and red rice. And surely the taste is different from other commercial wine and you will look for another shot or perhaps a glass.

In the ceremony the contestant are being judge by dignified representative from different sectors. The judge seems to be a veteran wine drinkers but other may be judging by the aesthetic of the burnei or clay jar. But the winner surely have the best rice wine .

 The Food may be a butcher pig or a Chicken. Usually salt and ginger is enough as ingredient. However in this case some of the participating schools gives a professional touch to give spice to the hungry  onlookers.

 A huge pot is set however it is not enough for hungry men. 

 Shovel in dipper and lade  out. For mixing the dish shovel are being use more handy than the lade. I wonder how's the taste test.

A blind man making basket using the sense of touch.