November 23 (Thursday) is a Special Non-Working Holiday in Benguet

This coming Thursday, the province of Benguet will sing, dance, and feast with a "canao" to mark its 117th founding anniversary. The local government of Benguet was established on November 23, 1900 right after the Americans took control of the archipelago. It also happens that the feast, the "canao", is the centerpiece of the month-long celebrations for the annual Adivay Festival. The parade will also happen on this day.

To allow more i-Benguets and outside participants to get involved with the celebrations, November 23 has been declared as a special non-working holiday in the province. The declaration was made and announced two weeks ago by the Office of the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary.

This year's Adivay Festival carry the theme "Benguet Culture, Our Future: Sustaining Cultural Identity Amidst Global Changes". The kick-off program for the festival was held on November 13 at the Capitol Grounds. The activities will roll on until the 26th of November. Check out the calendar of events for the Adivay Festival 2017 here.

Photo by Daniel Feliciano / The Cordilleran Sun