Vigan's Binatbatan Festival.

"VIVA VIGAN BINATBATAN FESTIVAL!"

Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, is a city that has stood the test of time. It has a traditional Hispanic checkerboard street plan. Its main street, Calle Crisilogo, is lined with structures made of brick and wood, with steeply pitched roofs reminiscent of traditional Chinese architecture. Vigan is an exceptionally intact and well-preserved example of an East and South-East Asian European trading town. Vigan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 due to all of these characteristics.

Damaso King, a Vigan historian, claims that the first Feast of the Natives took place on May 3, 1883. In 1882, an epidemic disease killed 934 residents in a month. The 'naturales' and'mestizos' asked Dr. Evaristo Abaya, the parish priest at the time, to request that the Santo Cristo Milagroso of Sinait town visit Vigan. Following that, the people ushered in a novena. The contagion ceased on the ninth day. Since then, the naturales of Vigan have chosen the third day of May as a day of thanksgiving for Santo Cristo, whom they refer to as 'Apo Lakay,' which is also the feast day of the Holy Cross and the Santo Cristo of Sinait town.

The process of beating cotton pods to remove the seeds for Abel weaving is known as "binatbatan."
Locals interpreted this as an occupational dance involving two sticks called "batbat." During the week-long celebrations, one of the main attractions is Binabatan street dance. The festival also features "boklan," a local art form that involves mosaicking seeds. Carabao painting, Kalesa parade, spoken poetry, Abel decors, and fashion show are all part of the
festivities. In addition, a fun shoot capturing the Vigan experience.

Binatbatan Festival, with its clothes made of abel Iloko, a woven fabric endemic to the Ilocos Region, is more than just a festival. It depicts Vigan's rich culture and old industries, which existed long before the Spaniards arrived to colonize the Philippines. It derives from the word batbat, which refers to a pair of bamboo 

sticks used to separate cotton pods from a tall tree called kapas sanglay. In Ilocano, the word "kapas" (from kapas sanglay) means "cotton."

Vigan's week-long celebrations have religious as well as secular significance. It all starts on May 1st, when the entire country celebrates Labor Day and Vigan remembers its own Isabelo de los Reyes, who founded the country's first labor league. On this day, the catholic faithful also remembers St. Joseph, the patron saint of specialists. The main day commemoration is followed by the Binatbatan Festival festivities, which include a road moving rivalry. Binatbatan movement is linked to Vigan's abel Iloco make. The film depicts how cotton cases are beaten with bamboo sticks to release the cotton lightening known as batbat from its seed. This celebration began in 2002 to highlight this traditional weaving technique that is said to have originated before the arrival of the Spaniards.

reference: http://vigancity.gov.ph/binatbatan-festival-of-the-arts-2019-2/