Vigan Festival of the Arts

 

     Binatbatan Festival traces its roots from the abel weaving industry of Vigan. 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. Binatbatan Festival of the Arts is a cultural showcase of the city that was first organize in 1993 to coincide with the tres de Mayo festivities. The playful movement of this dance was created specifically for children and represent the actions of cotton farmers as they separate the seeds from the fibers using sticks.

 

     During this pandemic, Binatbatan Festival will still celebrated but not like how we celebrate it when there is not pandemic. Here are some activities that lined up during the Binatbatan Festival, including street dancing, carabao painting contest, trade and food fair, abel iloco fashion show and abel iloco house décor display. These activities may not done well because of the pandemic we are facing. There will be a limit on watching these activities because our officials wants us to be safe and not to get virus. We should still observe physical distancing when watching the said activities to avoid getting the virus.

 

     We should still celebrate Binatbatan Festival of the Arts even there is a pandemic to show that we are proud of our traditions, arts and culture. We should still observe safety protocols when celebrating this festival to maintain good health and to be safe during this pandemic.

Image Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/2imLGMQv1kUAhaXF6