1.

Guling-Guling Festival of Paoay

Guling-Guling Festival is a traditional occasion that happens yearly in the

month of February in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. It is held before the Ash Wednesday or
the start of the season of Lent or also known as “Semana Santa”, which begins 40
days prior to Easter. It is celebrated as a the last day of merry-making and
enjoyment for the townspeople before the Lenten season.

This festival in Paoay, Ilocos Norte was introduced by the Spanish friars in the
16th century during the olden days of the Spanish regime. It was celebrated by the
religious sector as a way of interaction with their members.

The word “guling” from Ilocano, means to mark or smear. The mayor in town
would smear in the person’s forehead a cross sign that signifies the purity. They
also believe that the mark in their forehead will cleanse all of their past sins. The
cross is a white color made up of wet and white rice flour.This old tradition is
celebrated for almost 400 years.
 2. Pamulinawen Festival of Laoag
The Pamulinawen Festival is held every first week of the February. It is the
Laoag City’s entry for the Best Tourism Practices Contest of the Department of
Tourism. The word Laoag means "the place of light or clarity" in Ilokano and
now, Laoag City is a 1st class city in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines.
The festival corresponds with the Feast Day of Saint William the Hermit,
which is the city’s Patron Saint. It started from a simple celebration of the Feast
Day of Saint William, then it has grown into a more spectacular festival featuring
the culture and heritage of the city through a variety of social-civic activities,
civic-military parade, a parade of floats, and its centerpiece, the Street Dancing
Competition. It includes the Dulang Food Festival, Calesa Festival, and Miss
Laoag Pamulinawen Festival Beauty Pageant, among others.
The name of the festival, Pamulinawen, came from the the name of a woman
made popular in the classic Ilocano song titled “Pamulinawen”. The festival also
aims to to promote sportsmanship and camaraderie.
 3. Damili Festival of San Nicolas

The Damili festival was institutionalized when the community saw the need to
revive and preserve its traditional occupation of pottery that dates back to the turn
of the 19th century. The town’s most enduring traditional product is the lowly
banga (cooking pot) which has become an icon of Ilocano heritage and a livelihood
that sustained generations of families of pot-makers.

San Nicolas Mayor Alfredo Valdez encouraged potters to expand their products to
include brick-manufacturing. He also commissioned the town’s potters to produce
bricks for a commercial complex in the town. Valdez made it a policy for every
construction project in his town to include bricks in the building’s materials to help
generate income for residents.

The festival has also become one of the anticipated year-end events in the province
where the municipal government lined up a variety of activities to promote the
town’s industries this year. Some of the festival highlights include an agri-
industrial trade fair and exhibit, a bonsai exhibit, street dancing and competition,
beauty pageant, indigenous games and a walking tour of the town’s heritage.

The provincial government will also sponsor a dinner for the town’s balikbayans
who have contributed to the town’s various projects. The festival will be capped by
the 115th Rizal Day commemoration on December 30, where officials and
residents will collectively offer a wreath before the hero’s monument at the town
plaza.

4. Siwawer Festival of Vintar

Siwawer has become the trademark of the town of Vintar. It is a specie of
aves that can be seen soaring and scouring at Vintar’s clear blue skies. This hawk
is characterized by might and power as it spreads out its wings to go into
unfamiliar territories. It is said that locals have been characterized with these traits
and so this has become the main reason for celebration of the Siwawer Festival.
This festival had been conceptualized and initiated with the aim of promoting the
arts and culture, developing tourism, preserving the natural environment and
conserving the heritage of Vintar.
On its lqunching celebrauion they adopted the theme: “Talaguding ni
Siwawer Pasantaken,” which means unleashing the power of the Siwawer. This
was a tribute to the many great leaders and achievers who made their big mark on
their chosen field of endeavor.
Vintar is a town located at the northeastern part of the province of Ilocos
Norte. The townsfolk composed mostly of young ladies showed off their dancing
skills imitating the prowess of a Siwawer. This performance was staged during the
celebration of the Ragrag-o Festival of the province.
 5. Ani Festival of Dingras
The Ani Festival is a yearly occasion in the region of Dingras. Not at all like
most Philippine celebrations that celebrate for the sake of their Patron Sain. Ani
celebration fills in as a thanksgiving festivity of Dingras ranchers for their plentiful
grounds and rich harvests. By and large, the festival begins on Sunday and closures
on a Friday. It is one of the exceedingly foreseen celebrations in Ilocos Norte
alongside Burgos Town Festival, Dulang Food Festival, Calesa Festival, Gameng
Festival, Mannalon Festival, and others. You can visit, explore and experience this
festival more.
Sadly, there are no known records about when the principal Ani Festival was
praised or how it has been conceptualized. The Ani Festival is held each year to
praise the region's property richness and plenitude in horticultural items. Its
motivation is like that of Quezon area's Pahiyas celebration. This celebration is the
essential vacation destination in this region. Horticulture has been the essential
lifestyle in Dingras preceding the entry of Spanish colonizers. The records of
Augustinian monks vouch for the fruitfulness of the dirt around there. In the
Augustinian's 1851 answer to the Spanish crown, it was expressed that Dingras has
the most fruitful and most gainful soil in Ilocos.
 Festivals
of
Ilocos Norte
Submitted by:
Richmond M. De la Cruz
Grade7- Eucalyptus

Submitted to:
Mr. Santiago Pumaras
Subject Teacher