Laoag City welcome arch (PNA photo by Leilanie Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – Laoag City’s famous Pamulinawen Festival will showcase vibrant culture and colorful traditions in February.
Laoag (lawag in Ilokano, meaning light) will have a month-long celebration of the unique culture and famous destinations of the Ilocos Norte city in order to attract more tourists and generate livelihood for the locals.
The events will officially kick-off 4 a.m. on Feb. 1 with a local marching band and its "tamburero" (bamboo flutists) greeting every home along the way.
Other activities are a civic-military parade, thanksgiving concert at Aurora Park and an exhibit of horse-drawn carriages (kalesa).
With the support of the local government, the kalesa remains visible around the city to attract tourists and even locals who wish to experience a ride around the city while providing livelihood to the dwindling number of aging "kutsero" (carriage driver).
A dragon dance will also be held during the Chinese New Year on Feb. 10.
The Pamulinawen Festival was originally held in honor of the city’s patron saint, St. William, and for the staging of Comedia Ilocana, musical dramas about the wars between Christians and Muslims.
"It is a reminder that our relentless faith will always get us through even the darkest of times,” Mayor Michael Keon said in an interview on Friday. (PNA)
