Lambunao Celebrates 1st Pasidungog Kay Sr. Sto. Nino

photo by Jose de Luna

The municipality of Lambunao will hold a cultural presentation to honor the patron saint of the Ilonggos with the celebration of the 1^st Pasidungog Kay Sr. Sto. Nino on January 11-13, 2013.

The three-day festivity opens on January 11 (Friday) with a Motorcade at 1 p.m., and a Torch Parade and Procession of Sto. Nino images at 6 p.m.; January 12 (Saturday) will feature Laro Ng Lahi at 8 a.m. and a Stylized Folkdance Competition at 6 p.m.; January 13 (Sunday) will highlight the Binanog Dance competition at 2 p.m.

The Binanog dance is an example of one of the most important statements in our local history. It is a clue that philosophically people did exist in a different form, other than the ones that we see now. It is a beautiful combination of chanting and dance.

Binanog is a courtship dance performed by the youth when it is time for them to choose partners for marriage. It is a descriptive dance mannered after the coupling mechanisms of two Banog (hawk) birds whose movements they mimic. The dancers move to and simple pattern of rhythms which marks only a superficial attempt to portray the movements of the birds. It reaches climax as the female dancer catches her male partner using a long piece of cloth wrapped in her waist. It is self-consciously a traditional dance and the performance of this dance is a public expression of their combined interpretation of the Sulod-Bukidnon courtship aesthetic.

The Binanog dance exhibits the graceful movements of the female dancer and her partner, reflecting the rhythm of the gong beat. The dramatic gong beat is an ideal back drop to the performers who leap and swirl in the happy mood of dance. Its aesthetics and rhythmic movements and foot work with the vibrant beat of the gong form the basics of the dance.

photo by Jose de Luna

Attired in the traditional costumes, the male dancers wear black top with traditional embroideries called tubok and is matched with red pants. The female dancer wears a headpiece of old coins while her face remains visible. She also wears adornments for neck. She wears a red top with traditional embroideries and a patadyong draped as a skirt. The dancers are accompanied by musician who uses a gong.

Mutual responsibility is important. The dance is important in that during the time of the dancing the dancers are propelled, if you will, back to that ancient time. Those who see the dance have a chance to return to the original form that they were in before.

This year, the annual Binanog Festival celebration highlighted by its tribal competition will be moved to December to closely connect with the Municipal Day.

Binanog is an integral part of the life of Lambunaonons. This traditional tribal dance along with its music, dress and stories of ancestors from times long past make it an exciting and distinctive experience.