Fishing derby added to 2024 Yap Day celebrations
Press Release
A fishing derby organised by the Yap Fishing Club for Saturday March 2nd, 2024, has now been added to programme for the upcoming 54th Annual Yap Day celebrations.
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.
Yap Day is one of the premier and largest cultural events in all of Micronesia that showcases everything Yapese, with the village of Makiy in Gagil municipality hosting this year’s festivities.
On February 29th the festivities will kick off with the traditional conch shell blowing and presentation of colours and stone money. During the course of that day there will be women’s sitting dances by the Maap and Rull municipalities and a men’s standing dance by the Rumung municipality.
Numerous school competitions will also be held including basket weaving, stick balancing, juggling, rope making, ball weaving with coconut leaves, rice bag and local fan weaving, local hat and fruit basket making, a copra relay and raft making. On the next day the highlights will include a women’s sitting dance by the Fanif municipality and a men’s standing dance by the Gagil municipality. Local attire and tattoo displays, copra husking, betelnut tree climbing races and elementary dance will also form part of that day’s activities.
Throughout the Yap Day celebrations there will also be ongoing demonstrations of traditional practices and displays including basket weaving, local foods, lei and rope making, fish traps, fishing net repair and agricultural programmes. Guided visits to the nearby Mangyol stone money bank and dwarf forests will also be organised during the celebrations.
Special tours for visitors and residents are being coordinated by the Yap Visitors Bureau on February 28th and March 2nd, the days prior to and after the Yap Day Celebrations These include a stone money tour to Rumung Island, a Tamilyog Trail hike and a culture and history-based island tour. Scuba diving, snorkelling, and kayaking excursions are also available, and visitors can book these through their accommodation provider.
Registration for the Fishing Derby will take place at Pine Club on Wednesday February 28th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the full programme of activities and updates for Yap Day 2024 are available on the organising committee’s Facebook page.
For Media Inquiries or Further Information Contact:
Susan Gooliyan - General Manager, Yap Visitors Bureau
susan@visityap.com
www.visityap.com
Tel: (691)-350-2298
