Vienna, October 22, 2022 – Hundreds of Filipinos and Austrian friends gathered at the Haus der Begegnung in Vienna’s 10th District to witness different cultural presentations of the other provinces in the Cordillera Region dubbed as Gotad Ad Ifugao.
Gotad Ad is an Ifugao word that means a large gathering for thanksgiving or merrymaking.
The cultural event featured different cultural dances like the Kiangan Courtship Dance, Dinuyya Folk Dance, Batawa, Pattong, and Pinanyuan.
In her inspirational message, Charge d Affaires Irene Susan Natividad expressed her gratitude for the chance to gather together as a community after two years of the COVID pandemic.
„Your presence here tonight is a great thing to be thankful for! We are grateful because we have all survived covid. Today, we are pleased because we are back at work, our children are back in school, we have our jobs, and we can gather again as a family and as a community. We thank the Lord for allowing us to unite again as a community to celebrate Gotad Ad Ifugao,“ Natividad said.
Likewise, she thanked Igorot Austria for sharing the richness of the Culture of the Cordilleras.
„We are here to celebrate the richness of the culture of Cordillera. Your culture is something to be preserved. I am glad that the young community members have participated in the celebration. Please continue to involve them. Let us not lose this rich cultural heritage of the Cordillera. Let us continue to promote it, practice it and be proud of it,“ Charge d‘ Affaires Natividad continued.
Annie Hruska, President of Igorot Austria, explained that the Gotad Ad Ifugao cultural event aims to help the earthquake victims in the province of Abra.
„This charity event aims to help the victims of the recent earthquake in Abra. It is an event where we share the richness of the Culture of the Cordillera. At the same time, we want to share and offer some of our resources for the needy, especially our compatriots in Abra,“ president Hruska said.
- text and picture: hector pascua
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