“Punnuk” Festival in Hungduan, Ifugao marking the end of the annual agricultural cycle at the Nanhipukanan River.

An ifugao elder from Hapao, Hungduan presents a “kina’ag,” a human figure made of rice stalks, and a sacred plant called “dongla” during the punnuk ritual along the Hapao River yesterday . The “Punnuk” ritual is a tradition in Ifugao performed in celebration of a bountiful harvest. “Punnuk” which is held along the Hapao River, marks the completion of the rice harvest and the beginning of a new agricultural cycle. The ritual highlights the communities’ continuing respect for their ancestral culture, tradition, and beliefs with abundance of water that gives life to agriculture.

Brgys. Hapao, Baang, Nungulunan residents March down clad in their traditional colorful regalia chanting and taunting the neighboring village folks and converge along the Nanhipukanan River where the highlights of the “Punnuk” ritual is celebrated with games and merriment.

Closing the ritual is the release of “Kina-ag” as a symbolic appeasement to the Dieties of the River and a sign that the Municipality of Hungduan has completed the rice planting cycle and is about to start anew.

Last August 2023 Punnok was officially granted as a part of Ifugao Cultural Heritage Events of the Municipality of Hungduan.
BFP, PNP, EMS personnel were on site to oversee that safety protocols were observed.

During the celebration, the Local Government of Hungduan commended and congratulated the clustered barangay local government units of Baang, Hapao, and Nunguluhan for being the grand winner of the search for the Best Tourism Village conducted by the Department of Tourism – Cordillera Administrative Region which aims to recognize villages in the Region for embracing tourism as an opportunity for growth and attaining sustainable development in rural areas; the Clustered Tourism Village of Baang-Hapao-Nungulunan, Hungduan, Ifugao, was conferred its award during the Awarding Ceremony of the Best Tourism Village held on February 8, 2023, at Baguio Convention Center. Dave Leprozo Jr.