The Festivities of Joy that Make Up the Binatbatan Festival

 

              Binatbatan festival, is a dance that emerges from the northwestern region of Ilocos, the Philippines. It represents the actions of cotton farmers as they separate the seeds from the fibers using sticks and this fiber are called Abel Iloco. Abel Iloco is one of the most prestigious treasures and a pride of every Ilocano. Binatbatan Festival traces its roots from the abel weaving industry of Vigan which has been in existence even before the Spaniards came to colonize the Philippines. In the first week of May, we celebrate Binatbatan Festival to keep and continuously preserve the weaving culture mainly in the heart if Ilocos Sur, Vigan City.

              Even though we live a long way from Vigan, my family and I still make an effort to watch the street dance whenever we can recall a time when everything was going normally. Every year during the first week of May, we can't wait to travel to Vigan to attend the lively street dance and many other activities that take place there. When compared to the other activities, the Binatbatan street dance is the most exciting and entertaining to watch. They show how happy they are to be bigueno and to have a wonderful value like Abel Iloco by having so many performers and dancers, colorful costumes, lively and loud instruments, and there are a lot of people watching. The performers' charming smiles are the most important thing they have to offer the audience. They had a smile on their face despite the exhaustion and the heat. It is clear that they go to a tough time simply to put a smile on people's faces. There will also be other events that you may take part in as well as watch. These include things like the carabao painting contest, the larong lahi competition, the photography contest, the mosaic art competition, the skateboard competition, and a lot more fun thing like that.

              We are all aware, as of this month of May 2022, that the number of cases is already beginning to decrease, and as a result, we are now in a better situation to celebrate festivals. The last time I went to Vigan, we watched a carabao painting festival, and although celebrating the Binatbatan Festival is not prohibited, it is only possible if certain health regulations are followed to.

Reference: WikimediaCommons: Binatbatan Festival. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Binatbatan_Festival_2012.JPG/800px-Binatbatan_Festival_2012.JPG?20120906020548. Retrieved on May 30,2022

ABS-CBN: LOOK: Vigan's calesas take center stage. https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/05/03/calesa-1.jpg?ext=.jpg. Retrieved on May 30, 2022