25/08/2026
On Saturday, August 22, residents from Barangays Hapao, Ba-ang, and Nungulunan gathered at the Nunhipukana along the Hapao River to observe ๐ฃ๐๐ป๐ป๐๐ธ, the climactic post-harvest ritual of their traditional thanksgiving festival, ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ข๐ฉ.
Dressed in red, community members engaged in the ๐จ๐ถ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ข, a traditional tug-of-war in the rushing river using ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฅ (hooked wooden poles) and the ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข-๐ข๐จ (a symbolic human figure woven from rice stalks). Far beyond a test of physical strength, this spirited contest honors community unity, gratitude, and prayers for future abundance.
Once the tugging ends, the ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข-๐ข๐จ is set adrift downstream, a signal to neighboring villages that the harvest is complete and the land is ready for a new cycle.
Punnuk is officially recognized as part of UNESCOโs Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the shared "Tugging Rituals and Games" across rice-farming cultures in Asia.
Photos by: Edwin Brix Joson Tubban
๐Hapao River, Hungduan, Ifugao, Philippines.
Festival
