Kanlungan ng Lahi (KanLAHI) Festival continues to bolster the identity, and showcase the rich culture of Tarlac.
The provincial government pushed through its fifth celebration this year, guided by minimum health standards due to COVID-19 pandemic, to keep the spirit of KanLAHI alive.
“Primarily, the KanLAHI Festival aims to establish the identity of Tarlac; to showcase all the beautiful things about our province—the people, products and tourism destinations,” Provincial Tourism Head Arsenio Lugay II remarked.
Tracing back its history, Lugay explained that the term KanLAHI, which means “cradle of races”, was coined to foster the culture, arts and heritage of Tarlac.
“Other provinces have their distinct festivals such as Sinulog and Panagbenga. And as a haven of diversity, we want that for our province because we know that Tarlac has a lot of things to offer. Hence, the idea of KanLAHI,” he said.
Lugay stated that after its first and second celebration, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has institutionalized the said fete declaring every 1st week of March as the official KanLAHI Festival Week.
“On our third year, Department of Tourism recognized KanLAHI Festival as the official cultural festival of Tarlac. I’m also proud to say that our 3rd and 4th celebration have gathered the biggest crowd,” he added.
Zooming in to this year’s preparation, Lugay underscored that health protocols are based on the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. They are in place to ensure health and safety of Tarlaqueños from the virus.
“The official start of the festival will be on March 1. Most of our activities are online, and will be streamed on various Facebook pages including the Provincial Government of Tarlac and Tarlac Tourism to allow people enjoy our events from the comfort of their homes,” he noted.
Festival highlights include the Culinary Competition which targets to discover or develop the Tatak Tarlac signature dish; and the Municipal Static Display Competition designed to showcase the heart and soul of towns and city in the province.
“Static displays may be visited in front of their respective municipal building or plaza. Through this, we can foster the development, investments and tourism of our local government units,” he said.
Other activities include the Opening Mass, Most Pinaka Extraordinary, Bonsai Competition, Plantito Competition, KanLAHI Cake Design Competition, Tamales Competition, KanLAHI Tourism Photography Competition, 1st Tiktok Competition, Tarlac Cultural Heritage Vlogging Contest, Mobile Legends Competition, and Tarlac National Painting Competition.
“Please join and support our cultural festival. Every activity was designed to make you proud and happy. This is also a testament that there’s more to Tarlac. It is a must-see destination worthy to be experienced and enjoyed,” Lugay stated.