WATCH: The Performance That Bagged the Kalinga Province Two Guinness World Records

(SPOT.ph) The Guinness World Records has recognized the province of Kalinga for having the largest gong ensemble and the largest Banga dance in the world.

The performance took place at the Kalinga Sports Complex on February 15 to celebrate Kalinga’s 28th Founding Anniversary and the 4th Bodong Festival. The gong ensemble and the Banga dance are usually performed together, the former as a symbol of unification.

The largest Banga dance was recorded to have 4,681 female dancers, while the largest gong ensemble was recorded to have 3,440 male beaters. Participants came from the seven towns of Kalinga.

If you’re not familiar with the culture, a Banga dance is an interpretive performance where Kalinga women balance clay pots on their heads, usually filled with water, to show off their skill and strength. It is inspired by the indigenous groups’ daily routine to fetch water from mountain springs.

The titles were awarded by Guinness World Records Official Adjudicator Kazuyoshi Kirimura that same night after the “Call of a Thousand Gongs, Dance of a Thousand Pots” was performed.

Also read: Setting a Guinness World Record Is Not as Simple as Saying It Online

Not the first attempt for Kalinga

According to the Province of Kalinga, this isn’t the first time the province tried to nab a world title. In 2018, Kalinga attempted to break the record for the largest gong group, but was not successful.

“This time, the province not only achieved a world record but two titles at that,” the Province of Kalinga wrote in a post. “The province would like to extend its gratitude to all the participants who endure the long hours and rain for this historic achievement.”

You can watch “The Call of a Thousand Gongs, The Dance of a Thousand Pots” performance below.

Also read: ICYDK: Ferdinand Marcos Has a Guinness World Record