Tour ARMM in an hour at Ramadhan Fair

COTABATO CITY – Every night is a happy and jolly night for most people visiting the
Ramadhan village” inside the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
compound here.

Every night
during the fasting month, which started June 16 and ends this Friday, food and
cultural presentation entertain visitors, mostly Muslims breaking the day-long
fast at past 6 p.m.

The Ramadhan
village, also known as Ramadhan Fair” can be likened to a Christmas village
during the yuletide season for Christians around the world.

After breaking
the fast and prayer called Tarawi,” visitors are entertained by various cultural
presentations from different tribal village inside the ARMM compound.

Here you can
tour the region in an hour,” said Samaon Ismael, one of the visitors who break
his fast and joined the congregational prayer Monday night.

Entertaining
the guests are music rendered through kulintang” by Iranon tribes people. A
war dance also highlights the night in this village.”

Few steps away
are the famous Pangalay” dance of Tausug from Sulu where visitors are treated
with free native Sulu coffee in front of the replica of Darul Jambangan Royal
House.

The Badjaos in
the next village” show prowess in performing the famous Jangay” dance.

Meranaw” or Maranaw”
from Lanao del Sur are not to be outsmarted and showed its famous Torogan,”
the Royal House of Maranaws where handicraft and the world famous malong” are
on display.

In between tours,”
guests can taste different Moro delicacies for a very reasonable price.

The atmosphere
is really great here, our identity is shown here, in just one setting, in less
than an hour one can feel, learn and be educated about the Muslim culture, tradition
and food,” Secretary Don Loong of the ARMM Department of Public Works and
Highways.

The Ramadhan
village is a miniature and a reflection of Muslim Mindanao, Bai Shalimar
Candao, Maguindanao tourism chief, said.

You can see
here what you have not seen in the past because out history is reborn here,”
Candao said in Filipino, citing the case of Maguindanao.

This is Walay
na Sultan (House of Sultan),” Candao said gesturing to the structure nearby. The
concept of Maguindanao village is to showcase the Maguindanao culture on how it
has evolved from centuries back to the present,” she added.Mayor Abolais
Manalao of Buldon, Maguindanao and host of Maguindanao Iranun village, was very
proud of his culture.

Of course we
are very happy. It is only now that our visitors learn about our Iranun culture
and how we evolved in the autonomous region,” he said.

Days before
the Eud’l Fitr celebration marking the end of fasting month, organizers prepare
a grand event that involves never ending cultural presentation to entertain
guests.

Muslims fast
from dawn to dusk and devote more time in prayers and charity works as a
religious obligation. (Ferdinandh Cabrera)