The Filipino Heritage Festival (FHF) will pay
tribute to the Filipino epic by showcasing age-old chants.
Festival director Bambi Harper said that "by
presenting these epic chants, we will also showcase the
traditional beliefs and value systems upon which these literary
forms are founded."
Darangen ni Bantugen will take
centerstage on May 14 when the Philippine Ballet Theater
performs at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang
Nicanor Abelardo.
Excerpts of the Maranao epic chant will also
be revisited in Las Piñas and Cagayan de Oro.
One of 43 declared UNESCO "Masterpieces of
the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity," the Darangen
epic celebrates episodes from Maranao history, and the
adventures of mythical heroes.
Annually in May, Festival organizers
including FHF president Armita Rufino and Finance officer
Araceli Salas, offer an array of cultural activities "to bring
the Filipino people to a new awareness of age-old traditions,
cultural practices, song, dance and poetry, and centuries-old
architectural wonders."
All over the archipelago, in as many barrios
and cities as is possible to feature in over 31 days, locals
prepare to receive visitors who will come to delight in their
cultural and tourism treasures.
The Heritage month kicks off in Cagayan de
Oro City with the Darangen epic, Maranao and Higaonon weaving,
Subanen baskets, mats, pottery and beads, and their crafting,
and performances by home-grown talents Gintong Amihan Dance
Troupe of the Mindanao Polytechnic State College, the Xavier
University Dance Society, and the Rondalla of Pilgrim Institute
and Waway Saway.
Pre-historic artifacts in museums, a heritage
sites tour of old homes and churches, a round-up of the local
cuisine, a Balagtasan, a choral concert featuring eight glee
clubs, and the opening of the Museum of Three Cultures — all
will run from April 29 to May 2.
In Manila, Patawa (evoking laughter with
poems, jokes, photos, and memorabilia) at the Metropolitan
Museum, a peek at our Chinese roots in Binondo, the 4
