Northern Besao Linapet Day

The following article was originally published last year at Sunstar Baguio. We are re-publishing it here because Linapet Day is around the corner once again and those of you with Besao roots might want to go home to join the celebrations.It is also a very unique event -- we don't think there's an event like this in other parts of the region -- so we're sure you would be interested in reading more about it.Besao's Linapet DaySunstar BaguioThe Linapet Day celebration is one of the rare traditions, which have never waned among the natives of barangays Gueday, Agawa and Lacmaan, all in Northern Besao, Mt. Province.It also played a significant role in keeping the unity among the people who come from these places.On Saturday morning, before the sun rises, folks as well as local and foreign tourists will flock to Dap-ay Awaw in Gueday to wait for the sun to rise atop a towering rock known as Ambaon-Bato in the far northern mountain of Langsayan.Here, one would find the world-renowned stone calendar, and it is only in this area where the rising sun can be viewed in a spectacular way, described by many as "sunset in a sunrise" with the changes in color and strategic position on top of the rock.This happens only at this particular time of the year.As early as the eve of September 29, locals would start preparing the linapet, an indigenous bread made of ground rice with coarsely ground peanut as filling and wrapped in banana leaves. After viewing the sunrise on September 30, thelinapet is then shared with neighbors and visitors.People who originated from these localities but are already based elsewhere, were said to annually meet on a weekend nearest September 30 to cook and partake of the linapet.As recounted by the elders based on an unpublished paper by Leon Lonogan, the tradition started after a strange man erected two stones in Dap-ay Awaw, Gueday in the early days and instructed a respectable elder to watch out for the sun on top of the lone towering rock in Ambaon-Bato.When this happens, he said it would be the best time to sow rice grains for a bountiful harvest. Each time of the year when the sun was viewed that way, markings were made on the stone, which eventually became the famous stone calendar.Pigs and chicken were also butchered to celebrate the feast of the sowing season. However as the number of people increased, the linapet eventually substituted for pigs and chicken.The linapet is a high calorie food. One serving from a half kilo of ground rice and three-fourths cup of ground peanut would contain approximately 253 kilocalories, 37 grams carbohydrates, eight grams protein and fat, 13 milligrams phosphorus, 33 milligrams calcium and traces of iron, riboflavin and thiamine.SOURCE: Sunstar Baguio.