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Our Bigueño culture is so rich that it is not enough to express it in words—we need to express them in festivities and manifest it in our intangible good traditions for other people to understand.
"Our Bigueño culture is so rich that it is not enough to express it in words—we need to express them in festivities and manifest it in our intangible good traditions for other people to understand."

[VIGAN, ILOCOS SUR, PHILIPPINES] ▬ Filipinos are indeed the world's most Christmas-oriented people. We start recognizing the Christmas season as early as September with radio stations playing Christmas songs on the first day of September. In every city or town in the Philippines, each has its own way to celebrate the season. In the World Heritage City of Vigan, its citizens gather as crowd to participate in the unveiling of the Christmas tree, a yearly tradition.

RANIAG TWILIGHT FESTIVAL 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CROWD WAITING FOR THE UNVEILING OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE


▬ An Annual Bigueño Tradition ▬


#VIGAN


EVERY YEAR, THE HERITAGE CITY OF VIGAN
unveils a new Christmas tree. It has a different theme yearly. For the year 2015, the unveiling of the Vigan Christmas Tree was held on 26 October 2015 in front of the Vigan City Hall. A huge white curtain concealed the body of the Christmas tree. Bigueños gathered in number to participate in this annual tradition. The event is one of the kick starters of the week-long Raniag Twilight Festival that also happens yearly. Below are some of the photos I took during the event.

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ THE CROWD WAITING IN FRONT OF THE CITY HALL AND BESIDE THE CHRISTMAS TREE VEILED WITH WHITE CURTAIN

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ A POWERFUL LIGHT ILLUMINATES THE TOP OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE.

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ FINALLY UNVEILED

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ THE GIANT CHRISTMAS TREE, 6 LAYERS

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ MANY MANNEQUINS DECORATED EACH LAYER

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ SOARING HIGH

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ THE TRAPPINGS

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ MORE MANNEQUINS IN ARTISTIC COSTUMES

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ WOMAN MANNEQUIN WITH INTRICATELY DESIGNED HEAD DRESS

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ ONE OF THE LIGHTS ATTACHED TO THE CHRISTMAS TREE

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VIGAN CHRISTMAS TREE 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ SOME DETAILS


The Vigan Christmas tree for 2015 has 6 layers. This is the first Christmas tree to stand behind the New7Wonder City Marker of Vigan.

The Christmas tree was designed with mannequins dressed with colorful and very detailed (up close) costumes from head to foot. The unveiling happened after the Raniag Street Dancing showdown, also held in front of the city hall.


▬ Ending Thoughts ▬


THE MANY TRADITIONS AND RICH CULTURE OF Vigan is part of the Bigueños' social well-being. We get sad when we don't find people dancing on the streets to the tune of our culture and heritage. We get mad when our plazas don't stage events and shows. Indeed, we make it sure that these events will happen.

Six (6) festivals happen in Vigan yearly and each festival is jam-packed with distinct events that are different from the other Vigan festivals. Aside from the festivals, we also have other cultural activities that are as grandiose as our festivals. However, we don't consider them festivals—just plain traditions. Our Bigueño culture is so rich that it is not enough to express it in words—we need to express them in festivities and manifest it in our intangible good traditions for other people to understand. ▬ to be continued...

THINGS/PLACES INCLUDED IN THIS BLOG SERIES

[UP NEXT] ▬ EPISODE 02: THE STREETS ARE DARK, BUT IT WAS MADE BRIGHT BY...


► BLOG SERIES: RANIAG TWILIGHT FESTIVAL 2015 COVERAGE

Episode 01 | Episode 02

[VIGAN] ► 34 Photos from Raniag Twilight Festival 2015 Street Dancing


TEASER ▬ The Raniag Twilight Festival basically preludes the All Souls' Day in Vigan where a mass homecoming and reunion of the Ilocanos happen as a tradition.

| Episode 03

[VIGAN] ► Blog Coverage: 133 Photos from Raniag Electric FLoat Parade 2015 + Insights


TEASER ▬ Festival dancers dressed themselves with both luminescence and heat-based light. They have to stand out in the dark—that is the very essence of this artful cultural event.

| Episode 04

[VIGAN] ► Candle Floaters Made Mestizo River Mesmerizing


TEASER ▬ ...light will always find its way to stand out in the darkness. It will always win.

| Episode 05

COMING SOON! LIKE THE EDMARATION PAGE FOR UPDATES

|

This is the Episode 01 of this blog series. Watch out for the later episodes to follow the flow of the event.


► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Customs and Traditions." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and look for the "More Posts from this Category Customs and Traditions" section below.

[2] Photos here were taken on 26 October 2015.

[3] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

More Stories from #Vigan

Map Showing the Location of #Vigan


YOU MIGHT LIKE: MORE TOWN EXPLORATIONS COVERING ILOCOS SUR

CLICK MAP TO DISPLAY LATEST ENTRIES COVERING ILOCOS SUR.

MORE POSTS FROM THIS CATEGORY: *CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS*

[VIGAN] ► Procession: Observing the Semana Santa in Vigan

_________________
TEASER ▬ I hope everyone shall change for the better. It should not just be a tradition but it should be a goal to enrich our spiritual lives.

[VIGAN] ► Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) Scenes

_________________
TEASER ▬ This is Holy Week up north. This is Vigan, like any other places in the Philippines.

[VIGAN] ► Santa Cruzan in Vigan's Flores de Mayo

_________________
TEASER ▬ Bigueños love cultural events a lot because we also love our cultural heritage double fold.

[VIGAN] ► Rakit Race: Bamboos and Balance at Mestizo River

_________________
TEASER ▬ The historic Mestizo river is the place to see. For the very first time, I witnessed an event called rakit race.

[VIGAN] ► The Lion Dance and the Culture on the 3rd of May

_________________
TEASER ▬ I thought I already know a lot about its history and culture but I realized that the more I discover new things, the more questions leave me hanging.

[VIGAN] ► The Holy Mass for Sto Cristo Milagroso de Vigan

_________________
TEASER ▬ This time, it's a team. The image of Sto Cristo Milagroso de Vigan was placed above the middle of a temporary altar that was especially set up for today's use.

[VIGAN] ► How Holy Week is Celebrated in Vigan? (What You Need to Know)

_________________
TEASER ▬ ...you can't take away the fact that Good Friday is Vigan's most crowded day and Vigan's religious culture is the phoenix. The minority creeps out in oblivion—its powerlessness revealed.

MORE TOWNS IN 'ILOCOS' YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE

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EDMAR GUQUIB, Travel Blogger
EDMARATION #TownExplorer


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EDMAR GUQUIB y DEL CASTILLO

Born and Raised in Vigan, Philippines. Hardcore Ilocano-Cordilleran. Professional Nurse on Weekdays. Coffee Addict. Travel Blogger in Between. For collaboration or partnership, email your business proposal at admin@edmaration.com.

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