Inside the Imbayah Festival

Festivals bring a country's culture alive. They unleash a vivid history and reestablish historic customs. To learn more about the The Imbayah Festival read more below from, Banaue, Philippines: The Imbayah Festival Celebrates Ifugao Culture.

"The Imbayah festival which celebrates Ifugao culture, rice planting and the harvest and rice wine was scheduled for the next day.

I took it easy the next day as my legs were aching from the Batad trip. The festival started at 5:30 pm with a low-key opening ceremony with just a few spectators.

A huge, black, boar, tied to bamboo poles in front of a traditional hut in Banaue Plaza, lay on the ground. The tribesmen made mock attacks with a spear as they danced around it before sacrificing the animal by cutting around its middle.

Within 10-20 seconds it was dead and the tribal folk chanted, tapped the boar with sticks before singeing its hair off on a fire. It was then butchered on the spot and distributed. Although this seemed cruel and gruesome to me, it was apparently quite normal and acceptable in Banaue.

This was followed by the first dance, which was very casual. Children, adults and elders took part in their national dance in tribal gear while members of the public, in shorts and tee shirts, mingled too.

The dance involved everyone moving like chickens as they danced around in a circle and had great fun; the crowd grew quickly as the music and laughter got louder."

Check out GoNOMAD!

Holi Festival, India

Around the world certain occasions are celebrated in different ways. While glancing through the Boston Globe Traveler I found one that would put some literal meaning to Cyndi Laupers song "True Colors." The Holi festival, known to the people of India as the commencement of the spring season is celebrated by singing loudly, dancing, playing games, letting their hair loose and showing their crazy selves. Below is a piece from the article:

Holi is a colorful festival – literally. On “Phalgun Purnima,” toward the end of February or beginning of March each year, revelers gather in the streets to celebrate the blossoming of spring by dousing one another in colored powder and water. Men and women flood the streets and mingle freely, a rare event.

“Holi festival has an ancient origin and celebrates the triumph of ‘good’ over ‘bad’.”

For more information check out the Boston Globe