Generals groove to the 16th Kalilangan bash

With the theme “Convergence in Divergence: Enriching Heritage, Bridging Cultures,” GenSan’s annual festival proved livelier and more fun with events celebrating the cultural diversity of the city as represented by tri-people – the Indigenous Peoples (IPs), Muslims and the Christians.
Beginning their 17-days celebration last February 10, the people of GenSan attended simultaneous events of song, dance and theatrical presentations, sports tournaments, visual art exhibits, agricultural exposures, free seminars, cook fest, animal shows, gadgets demo, fun run and parties.
It was a mix of the rustic and modern as the local government held ethnic sports gab, a local version of Cosplay, short for Costume Playing, usually held by Anime fans, Farmer’s Night celebration, Battle of the Bands competition.
Residents of General Santos City recently held the Lambigitan celebration or the Cultural Night, one of the many highlights of the 16th Kalilangan Festival and the 73rd Foundation Anniversary.
The ethnic sports competition “Laro Ng Lahi” , held February 24 to 26, gathered much audience as youngsters enjoyed playing traditional games such as:  Kadang Marathon, Sack Race, Patintero, Palosebo, Tug of War, Sungka, Skipping Rope, Tabanug (kite-flying) and the board game Dama.
The Pinoy Cosplay, also held on February 24, was a new breed of excitement for the Generals. Instead of wearing costumes of their favorite Anime characters, the participants donned outfits in celebration of Pinoy heroes.
Throughout the festival days, annual highlights of Kalilangan sa Barangay, the Agri Trade Fair, the Farmers Night, sports competitions, and various musical instrument contests were held.
New activities also gave new colors to the celebration such as the Traditional Houses Exhibit which ran from February 21 to 27, and the 1st GenSan Bike Festival held February 25 to 26.
On February 27, the festivity will come to its Finale through the anticipated Kadsagayan or Street Dancing wherein groups will compete over big prizes.
Kalilangan is derived from the rootword “Kalilang” which means celebration or commemoration in the Maguindanaon dialect.
Traditionally, Kalilangan means ‘festival’ or ‘jubilee’. It is the social gathering traditional leaders, elders, allies and subordinates and their exchange of amenities.
A Kalilang encompass a variety of ethnic rites, rituals and traditions such as marriage, religious ceremonies, anniversaries, funerals, and enthronement of royal dignitaries, thanksgiving and other social forms of social, political and economic activities.
The festivity projects a positive and dynamic meaning for the locals as it symbolizes their history, the present, and their hopes for the future through artistic and social interaction.
At present the Generals view the Kalilangan festival as an economic activity but it also holds the deeper sentiments of companionship, family, tradition, and history.