With the theme, “Kay
Sr. Sto. Nino Maghugyaw, Para Pag Amlig Dunang Manggad Mangibabaw,” the
municipality of Calinog, Iloilo will highlight its tribal dance competition on
February 1 (Sunday) at 9 a.m. This annual celebration of
Hirinugyaw-Suguidanonay Festival communicates its cultural traditions, values,
and beliefs through dances and storytelling expressed in chants.
The performances are
unique with a dynamic interaction between the storyteller (chanter) and the
audiences. During the chant, listeners create mental images of the story’s
events. The presentations are of two parts; the Hirinugyaw and the Suguidanon.
It normally starts with the Suguidanon or storytelling done through chants.
The chanting of
synopsis of chapters of Hinilawod provides spectators with highlights in
chapters of the epic assigned annually. The legendary epic poem, Hinilawod
(Tales from the Mouth of the Halawod River) is hailed to be one of the longest
epics in the world. It is one of the country’s biggest and richest literary
pieces. It is said that when recorded it takes about 30 hours and when
performed as a chant with interruptions for meals and sleep, the epic lasts for
three days.
Hinilawod is written
and recorded by Ilonggo Anthropologist Dr. F. Landa Jocano (a native of
Cabatuan, Iloilo) in 1957 based from stories from the inhabitants of Central
Panay (Sulodnon). It is a rich source of their cultural practices, religion and
rituals. The Sulodnon or Bukidnon tribe in Calinog comprises its thirteen (13)
mountain barangays.
The epic tells of
the exploits of the three demigod brothers of Panay: Labaw Donggon, Humadapnon
and Dumalapdap. It showcases value of honor, courage and dignity. By portraying Visayan mythology through chants and
movement, the festival performances show how audiences can relate to and
understand the same story in different ways, and how the exploration of this
tradition could benefit people from all walks of life.
Suguidanon
(storytelling) develops as the community looks for a recreation of memory in
community life. It is a program that will explore and celebrate the role that
Panay Bukidnon oral traditions have played in the shaping of our local culture.
Suguidanon will take a close look at how the oral traditions of the Sulod have
entertained and influenced generations of people.
The last part of the
presentation is the Hirinugyaw. Derived
from the Hiligaynon word hugyaw or
joy, it showcases Calinognon’s devotion to the Sr. Sto. Niño or the Child Jesus
where dancers move out in rhythmic, jerky dance steps, with shouts of joy
synchronized to the beatings of the drums.
Calinog is 59.3
kilometers central of the province of Iloilo. It is politically subdivided into
59 barangays over its land area of 23, 280 hectares. The town is bordered in
the north by the Municipality of Tapaz, Capiz; in the northeast by the
Municipality of Bingawan; in the northwest by the Municipality of San Remigio,
Antique; in the south by the Municipality of Lambunao; in the southeast by the
Municipality of Dueñas and in the southwest by the Municipality of Valderrama,
Antique. Market day is every Tuesday. Its religious Fiesta is annually
celebrated in honor of Immaculada Concepcion every 8th of December.
To get to Calinog,
numerous jeepneys and buses run daily from Pavia People’s Terminal in Barangay Ungka-II, Paviaa beside Coca-Cola
Bottlers Philippines plant or at the Bus-Jeepney Terminal fronting Christ the
King Memorial Park in Jaro, Iloilo City.
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