Culture can be easily forgotten if we don’t intentionally preserve it. That is why we must continuously rekindle it every way we can, every chance we get. A great annual event that does just that is UP Subol Society’s flagship event Padunungan, with this year’s theme as “Rekindling the Fire: Establishing the Youth’s Involvement in Social Change and Innovation.”
Now celebrating its 40th year and happening at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center in Lingayen, Pangasinan on January 6 and January 7, 2020, Padunungan is a place where the brilliant young people of Pangasinan come and showcase what they’ve got in brains, talent, and creativity.
The four-decade-old cultural event started out as a quiz bee aimed at developing the academic intelligence of Pangasinan’s youth. Today, it exhibits more than just wits, with contests that display all that the young Pangasinense can do. These include poster making contests, essay and poetry writing contests, and so much more.
In the photo above are the artworks of some of Pangasinan’s elementary students for Padunungan’s poster making contest. From afar, these artworks may seem repetitive, as if they were only created out of tradition. But if you think about it, that’s exactly how we keep something, such as our culture alive. It is by repetition and being faithful in keeping the traditions that give us something to be proud of.
Below are some of the key activities that happened on day one.
Padunungan is not just a series of contests and shows — it is also a place where cultural awareness, knowledge, and appreciation is raised and ignited in those who will keep the cultural fire alive and burning as citizens of the Philippines and locals of the province of Pangasinan.
