P.O. Box 988, Colonia, Yap
Federated States of Micronesia, 96943
Press Release #1 of 2024
PRESS RELEASE
2024 Yap Day Celebrations to Take Place Over Two Days
The Village of Makiy in Gagil to Host This Year’s Festivities
(January 19, 2024) – Yap Visitors Bureau, Yap, FSM): The 54th Annual Yap Day celebrations, one of the premier and largest cultural events in all of Micronesia, will be held on February 29 and March 1, 2024. Hosted this year in the village of Makiy in Gagil municipality, this two-day event will showcase and celebrate everything Yapese – traditions, culture, heritage, food, family, and community.
The festivities will once again kick off with the traditional conch shell blowing and presentation of stone money. Then throughout the two days there will be the various colourful standing and sitting traditional dances by male and female groups from the communities of Maap, Rumung, Rumuu, Rull and Gagil. There will also be ongoing presentations and demonstrations of local crafts, food, drinks and other traditional items by the Yap and Outer Islands Women’s Associations, Historical Preservation Office, Marine Resources and the Agriculture and Land Grant Department.
Other activities will include traditional skills competitions, recognition of essay contest winners, displays of ceremonial dress and traditional tattoos, log pulling, free style performances and guided visits to the nearby Mangyol stone money bank and the dwarf forests.
On February 28th and March 2, the days prior to and after the Yap Day Celebrations, the Yap Visitors Bureau will be organising special tours for visitors and residents. These will include a Rumung Island Tour to view the largest stone money on Yap, a Tamilyog Trail hike with birdwatching, and a half day island tour to view important cultural, historical and Word World War II sites.
ABOUT YAP: Yap is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia, in the Pacific Ocean that is ringed by spectacular coral reefs and famous for its scuba diving with giant manta rays, sharks and mandarin fish. Other key activities on the island include kayaking, hiking, deep-sea fishing and exploring the many World War II historical sites. Yap is also uniquely famous for its stone money (huge disks of stone, which are still used today in major transactions), strong traditional culture and way of life, and welcoming residents. Just a short flight away from Guam or Palau, this Pacific gem is one of the tourism industry’s best kept secrets. For more information on visiting Yap go to www.visityap.com.
For Media Inquiries or Further Information Contact:
Susan Gooliyan – General Manager, Yap Visitors Bureau
susan@visityap.com
www.visityap.com
Tel: (691)-350-2298
PHOTO ATTACHMENTS (2):
Photo 1 Caption: Traditional dance by Men’s Group
Photo 2 Caption: Children Perform a Traditional Sitting Stick Dance
