"VIVA BINATBATAN"

    The Binatbatan Festival is celebrated yearly starting from the last week of April till the first week of May. It is a festival that celebrates the art of weaving in the culture of Ilocanos. There are many events during when the festival is held such as street dancing competitions, kalesa parades, carabao painting contests, etc.  The term binatbatan refers to the first step of the weaving process, wherein the cotton balls are separated from the seeds by beating them with the use of two bamboo sticks. Later on, binatbatan inspired an Ilocano folk dance.

    After the outbreak of Covid-19, the Binatbatan Festival was cancelled last year as the world was put into lockdown in order to not infect the locals and also foreigners who were in the Community at the time. The country was busy then figuring out ways on how to deal with the spread of the virus. This year marks the 2nd time the Binatbatan Festival was put off because of the pandemic. Because the festival is held grandly, a lot of its activities are cancelled. Although through the use of social platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, people share their enthusiasm in appreciating the cultural background of the festival by posting their street dance videos, posters, and many different art.

    Many locals miss the celebrations, but due to Covid-19, locals couldn't get to fully experience the lively atmosphere and energy the festival offered the past years. It is best to comply to the restrictions to lessen the spread of the virus and for the country to recover faster. 

Reference and Citation:

• https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f1a9691c19de33301cdb9e8/1595669967513-BEXLQU11ORQ09O4P1WTW/Various+fabrics.jpg
• https://eazytraveler.net/2012/05/viva-vigan-binatbatan-festival-of-the-arts-2012/
• https://www.vigan.ph/attractions/viva-vigan-festival-of-the-arts.html
• https://live.staticflickr.com/7330/13922777558_dda6b1267c_b.jpg