One Colorful Event

 

                   
Binatbatan Festival is a fusion of culture, arts, industry history, and heritage under one event. The streets were closed, and people congregated in certain areas. The drums are pounding loudly. The street dancers wear colorful costumes and proudly proclaim "Viva Vigan!”

 

                      According to Damaso King, a well-known Vigan historian, the Viva Vigan Binatbatan Festival of the Arts, which goes from the last week of April to the first week of May, was originally the Feast of the Natives, which began on May 3, 1883. The festival began when an epidemic killed 934 residents in a month in 1882. The huge number of death in such a short time alarmed the Spanish natives, then the parish priest requested for the visit to Vigan of the Santo Cristo Milagroso of Sinait town. The people celebrated a nine-day novena in honor of Santo Milagroso. The number of deaths dropped as the novena progressed, and the pandemic came to an end on the last day. People have been gathering at the cemetery chapel known as Simbaan a Bassit to hear Holy Mass and continue their devotion to Apo Lakay on Fridays and the third day of May since then.

 

          Binatbatan Festival was introduced to celebrate one of the industries that kept
residents alive – abel Iloco hand-loom weaving. Binatbatan is the process of beating cotton pods to remove the seeds.  This is shown through the Binatbatan street dancing and showdown. Before the pandemic, many food and trade fairs will most likely open. Santa Cruzan, Tres De Mayo, and a lot of activies are observed. Since we can’t hold a large number of gatherings, binatbatan festival is celebrated at home. Despite all the happenings nowadays there are a lot of ways to celebrate it in a safer way. Health will always be prioritized. Let us be patient and responsible so that we can enjoy a normal life again.

 Sources: https://live.staticflickr.com/7321/14114827015_ff944b29b1_b.jpg

     https://live.staticflickr.com/7384/13944549029_3436352384_b.jpg

https://pia.gov.ph/features/articles/1021193