PHThe Tengao is a traditional Bontoc community rest day observed in Mountain Province.
When elders declare a tengao, ordinary activities such as farming and other forms of work are suspended.
The practice can be connected with agricultural cycles, sickness, conflict, or other important community circumstances.
Elders traditionally announce the rest day so everyone knows that the restrictions apply to the community. The rule is therefore more than simply taking a day off from work.
It functions as a customary system of community coordination and collective observance.
UNESCO has documented the practice as part of the living heritage of Bontoc communities.
© UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
When elders declare a tengao, ordinary activities such as farming and other forms of work are suspended.
The practice can be connected with agricultural cycles, sickness, conflict, or other important community circumstances.
Elders traditionally announce the rest day so everyone knows that the restrictions apply to the community. The rule is therefore more than simply taking a day off from work.
It functions as a customary system of community coordination and collective observance.
UNESCO has documented the practice as part of the living heritage of Bontoc communities.
© UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage