Festival of the Arts

 

The Viva Vigan Festival of Arts is celebrated during the first week of the month of May. 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. It comes from the word “batbat”, a pair of bamboo stick used to separate cotton pods that come from a tall tree called kapas sanglay. The word "kapas" from kapas sanglay means "cotton" in Ilocano.

                Binatbatan dancing is connected to Vigan’s abel Iloco craft. The dance depicts how cotton pods are beaten with bamboo sticks to release the cotton fluff called batbat from its seed. This festival was started in 2002 to showcase this traditional weaving craft that is said to predate the arrival of the Spaniards. Wearing clothes made from abel Iloko, a woven fabric endemic in the Ilocos Region, Binatbatan Festival is not merely just a festival. It depicts the rich culture and old industries of Vigan.

This occasion and celebration indeed give life to our history, it is the occasion that we all love to witnessed, the parade and street dancing are immaculate and superior. It is sad to think that we can’t witness this iconic event now. The celebration during this pandemic has been aired online and attended by several city employees. We might not celebrate it the usual way, but still, the little celebration is enough, and what important is we remembered it and always remain in our heart.

https://www.vigan.ph/attractions/viva-vigan-festival-of-the-arts.html

https://www.edmaration.com/2012/05/viva-vigan-festival-binatbatan-street.html