Let Us Rejoice In Our Heritage At The Kannawidan Ylocos Festival!


A noble idea arose in the minds of a group of civic-spirited Ilocanos who wanted to instill pride in their heritage in the youth and future generations. KANNAWIDAN, the Iloko Foundation of Arts and Culture, grew from the magnificent idea and is now a living reality.


The Kannawidan Ylocos Festival commemorates the anniversary of the province of Ilocos Sur since its separation on February 3, 1818. Kannawidan is a word from the Ilocano language that means "heritage" or "inheritance." Ilocos Sur has a rich heritage and unique culture that must be preserved for future generations, as many of these traditions, songs, dances, and other Ilocano culture are unfamiliar to the younger generations. Children today are more interested in modern and novelty dances than traditional ones. There is also a need to evaluate the various municipal products, as well as the agricultural products and livestock of farmers and fishermen. As a result, the provincial government of Ilocos Sur devised a festival to highlight these cultures and traditions while also attracting local and foreign tourists.


Kannawidan has become one of the province's most anticipated annual celebrations, contributing to the advancement of Ilocano culture. One way to look at community is as a social construction in which people create a sense of similarity based on their culture; thus, the starting point of community is culture. Rather than looking at objective forms, this leads us to consider how community appears based on human interpretations of cultural meanings. Symbols create culture, and their uniqueness can be seen in the expression of social behavior.


It has created various activities to highlight the richness of Ilocos Sur culture and heritage. One of these became the most popular festival community food ways. The significance of food beyond the physical fact is emphasized here. Food is an important tool for understanding a community's culture because it is part of a system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Food ways contribute to cultural heritage through the transmission of intergenerational knowledge, taste, political power struggles, connections to nature, stories of subsistence, local environment, human sensuality, poverty, and wealth. Understanding food as a heritage implies understanding how humans relate to their past, and many of the elements are organized chronologically.


Heritage elements can be tangible, intangible, natural, or historical; these are resources that require logical meaning, a time and space relationship, and a potential direction of change to be considered heritage. Cultural heritage has emotional and intellectual appeal because it evokes feelings of prestige and pride. Every society requires heritage because it reinforces identity, and people act or react based on historical examples and the characteristics of the order established in their society. As a result, just as with culture, each social group develops its own heritage. The ability to give group identity meaning lies in the creation of heritage. The past can be represented if it is first established in the collective imagination as a location with distinguishable features.


Let us rejoice at the Kannawidan Ylocos Festival! Its vision is to be an esteemed and respected cultural foundation of Ilocanos who have a deep respect for our origins, instilling pride and a sense of identity in all Ilocanos who are committed to ensuring the preservation and promotion of Iloco cultural, artistic, historical, and intellectual legacies. Let us rejoice in our heritage!



Resources:

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/02/20/ilocos-sur-celebrates-kannawidan-2022/

https://depedilocossur.info/?p=2011

https://philippines.travel/events/kannawidan-ylocos-festival

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