Posts Tagged ‘Banaue Rice Terraces’

 

 

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IFUGAO

 

By Eugene Alvin Villar (seav) – English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=478485

 

 

 

Photo from:  bahay.ph

 

Banaue Rice Terraces in the Ifugao Province

 

Photo from:  bestourism.com

The Banaue Rice Terraces, are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rain forests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe.

 

Photo from:   lovethesepics.com

Locals to this day still plant rice and vegetables on the terraces, although more and more younger Ifugaos do not find farming appealing, often opting for the more lucrative hospitality industry generated by the Rice Terraces. The result is the gradual erosion of the characteristic “steps”, which need constant reconstruction and care. In 2010 a further problem was drought, with the terraces drying up completely in March of that year.

 

Photo from:  skyscrapercity.com

 

Ifugao People

 Photo from:  asiaphotostock.com

 

The terraces are vastly found in the province of Ifugao and the Ifugao people have been its caretakers. Ifugao culture revolves around rice and the culture displays an elaborate array of rice culture feasts linked with agricultural rites from rice cultivation to rice consumption. Harvest season generally calls for thanksgiving feasts while the concluding harvest rites entail a strict taboo of any agricultural work.

 

Photo from:  townhall.com

 

Partaking of the rice beer, rice cakes, and betel nut constitutes an indelible practice during the festivities and ritual activities.

 

Source: wikipedia.org

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

The Cordillera Administrative Region

Ifugao Province UNESCO Heritage Site

Colorful Festivals in Ifugao

Natural Points of Interest in Ifugao

Man-Made Points of Interest in Ifugao

How to Have Fun in Ifugao