Kalilang Festival

The Municipality of Nunungan,Lanao del Norte in its attempts to propagate

the indigenous culture of the Maranaws of Lanao symbolized the Maranaw

Kalilang as their highlights of their Founding Anniversary on every 30^th of June.

Kalilang is a Maranaw term for feast, where the concituents of the twenty

five ( 25) barangays celebrate such feast by preparing their own native foods

 and delicacies, putting colorful bunting and flag lets on the street and the

 most and highly anticipated one is the showdown playing of kolintang, rituals

 and entertainment dances performed and participated by the 25 barangays.

Kolintang is a Mararaw instrument composed of eight small gongs with different

 sizes which usually played by women showing her skills in playing Kolintang

artistically, accompanies by a pair of agong (gongs), Debakan (drum) and the

 Babendir (small gongs) for synchronizations of Kolintang orchestra. The

municipality of Nunungan organized their own cultural troupe to entertain

guests and visitors to the place and the entire province as a whole to promote

and show how they preserve their indigenous and colorful culture of the place.

It would be difficult to match the color, excitement, and

variety of activities in a Maranao kalilang (carnival, festival)

held on special merrymaking occasions such as welcoming

pilgrims home from the hajj, coronation of a new sultan, and

 the like. The kalilang—a rare event now—can last a whole

 day from dawn until well into evening or it can go on for

days. The festivities often begin with a procession of

dignitaries and their retinue, dressed in the finest traditional

 clothes. Members of the royalty are accompanied by their

 parasol bearers, the sequined and bejeweled parasols—

called payong-m diyakatan—being tokens of their rank.

The whole parade moves to the syncopated, swi beat of

 drums and gongs. Fireworks are set off here and there,

adding to the festive din J the procession. Then follow

outdoor games and competitions, supported by hundreds!

excited spectators.

The festivities of the kalilang are capped by an evening of

 instrumental musi featuring the beating of war drums

(kagandang), and exhibition performances on thj kulintang (a set

 of brass gongs set out in xylophone fashion). There are also

 ceremonii dances and kambaoika. Kambaoika is a sort of contest

 among singers, chanters, or recites of improvised poetic

compositions, at which the Maranaos seem especially adept.