The “HeritageCity”, where ViganCity is known for, held its annual celebration every month of May the colorful and merry Binatbatan Festival. The streets lined up with ancestral houses are filled with local and tourists visitors to witness the festival.
The word Binatbatan came from the Iluko term “batbatin” which means separating cotton balls from the seeds of the local fruit tree kapas sanglay. The cotton balls are then spun and used in weaving the abel, which Chinese merchants then residing in Ciudad Fernandina, the Vigan of old, exported and which was among the local products shipped during the galleon trade from the 15th to the 18th century. Other festival events included calesa and Ramada décor contests, and, of course, showcase of Vigan’s delicacies like the royal bibingka, longganisa and empanada.
Tabako or Tobacco Festival being held in CandonCity, Ilocos Sur is annually celebrated every April 1. The city is dubbed as the tobacco capital of the country being the biggest producer of Virginia Tobacco. In that regard, the festival highlights tobacco product by having street dancing competitions wearing a tobacco inspired costume and a search for Ms. Virginia Tobacco is also being done.
Pinakbet Festival is an annual celebration, every month of April, highlighting the favorite dish of the Ilocanos which is “pinakbet.” It features street dances, cooking competitions and competition where the best of Ifugao crafts are displayed. A festival that honors the farmer’s industry and housewives’ cooking skills.
The Longaniza Festival of ViganCity held every January 22 features the “longest Longaniza” with the hope of entering to the Guinness Book of Records as the longest Longaniza of the world. “Longaniza” (a Mexican-influence native salami) Festival highlights the food as one of Vigan’s delicacies not only famous locally but abroad as well because of the mixture of its ingredients: grind meat sauted with native garlic and Ilocos vinegar.
Viva Vigan Festival is being held every first week of May. Its festive mood is characterized by colorful Binatbatan Street Dancing where all costumes and props are all innovative and artistic plus dancers also use abel cloth and sticks. The Calesa Parade is another must-see portion of the festival wherein private individuals, calesa owners or calesa sponsored by business establishments, organizations or government agencies design their own calesa for a parade in the street. Decoration using materials indigenous to the City such as: Abel Iloko (the native handwoven cloth); Burnay (Vigan jars); damili; agricultural products; and processed foods like longaniza, bagnet and kankanen. The Karbo festival beckons spectators to feel the ambience of a living historic city. Other attractions include ramada games, religious rituals, Santa Cruzan, Abel fashion shows, exhibits, trade/food fairs and other exciting events.
Sinait Garlic Festival is being held from May 1 to 3 which showcase the talent, ingenuity and hard work of Ilocano farmers in a form of various competitions. Part of the objective of this festival is to encourage Ilocano farmers to mass produce high quality garlic using modern technology. The birth of this festival in year 2000 was made possible by Governor Savellano and Mayor Yabes after witnessing the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, USA renowned as the Garlic Capital of the World.
The Garlic Festival also provides various competitions that display the remarkable talents of Ilocos Sur farmers on garlic cooking and artistic presentation that includes root trimming, cleaning and bundling. An added feature is the Search for the Most Beautiful Cow and Carabao, which aims to recognize the superior indigenous livestock breed, raises by backyard farmers and encourage improvement of animal breeding.
The cooking contest encourages friendly bonding among participating non-government organizations, elementary and high school students and teachers as well as culinary experts while in the process of showing their culinary expertise in preparing and cooking delectable meals using the calorie and protein rich garlic as main ingredient.
The post harvest competition on Ordinary Garlic Bundling and Most Artistic Presentation will highlights the versatility of Sinait farmers and visitors.
The Festival is usually held at the grounds of the SinaitNationalHigh School and kicks off with a pilgrimage to Logo, Barangay Dalaquitan Norte which is followed by the opening program and trade fair. A grand parade of garlic floats, street presentations and street dancing are much-awaited sights as well.
The province-wide cooking contest is also held side-by-side with the Search for the Biggest Garlic Bulb and Garlic Bundling, whose categories include Longest Twined Garlic, Creative Bundling, and Bundling Competition which also allows tourist participation.
May 3 is the festival’s grand closing day with the celebration being started by a holy mass early in the morning. The much awaited Search for the Most Beautiful Cow and Carabao is also a major highlight. The criteria include general appearance, head and neck, forequarter, body and hindquarter of the animal breed.
A Marching Band Exhibition and Competition is usually held in the afternoon while the Search for Sinait Garlic Festival Queen is a must-see event in the evening. The Festival is capped by fireworks display before midnight.
BaluarteFallsis accessible by light transportation vehicles and her beauty is best seen during the last quarter of the year. Passing through rainforest, visitors are greeted with cool mist and showers. Adventurist may also scale the top of the falls through a steep pathway constructed for this purpose. Being manned 24 hours by Baluarte Barangay Tanods, these tourist guards says: Conquer your fears, let your spirits soar, have your souls reinvigorated and feel nature at its best.
ApatotBeach in San Esteban is frequently visited by picnickers. During the last stage of World War II, US submarines surfaced in the area to unload arms and supplies for the USAFIP, NL. There is very little information about ApatotBeach. Most visitors are just locals from nearby towns and cities and there are three existing beach resorts.
The rocky shore of Sulvec, Narvacan is a favorite stop-over of commuters and the locals as well. By the shoreline is the Paraiso ni Juan leading up to the grotto atop a rock.
Rest houses and picnic sheds are found in this nearby white sand beach in Cabugao. A developed beach known for its pure white sand and shallow shoreline. Barangay Pug-os, located along the national highway and two kilometers north of the poblacion, boasts of its fine beach – its white sand stretching to more than half a kilometer. This attribute and the gradually slopping seabed make it a top favorite among town mates and tourists for swimming, picnics or fun hiking.
Located at Barangay Babal-lasioan, where the legendary foot prints of Angalo was left when he was in search of his wife, Aran. There is a stone stairs out of the mountain between the falls which is frequently used by the resident of Pilar, Abra in coming to and from the Municipality of Santa Maria.
The majestic grandeur and pristine beauty of this falls has long been attracting foreign tourists and local excursions who love nature in its best as a picnic destination. Crystalline falling water cascades down to two spacious natural pools below during the dry summer where one could swim and frolic in the clear and transparent water. Another factor to its natural beauty is the hillsides on both sides covered with foliage of big trees under which one can take a restful nap after having an appetizing lunch from so much swimming on the two pools or inside a hidden cave behind the cascading waterfalls of the main fall. One’s trip to PinsalFalls is not complete without climbing the carved steps to the top. On reaching the top of the falls, the visitor will be fascinated with more natural pools, the biggest of which is the so-called footprint of Angalo, a male giant which he left chasing his lady-love, Aran, also a female giant, so the legend goes.
Calling it a day, after an exhausting but rich and unforgettable experiences, the visitor trod back to the cascading falls for a lunch under the cool and breezy shade of the verdant trees.
PinsalFalls can be reached in 45 minutes by any vehicular transportation from the Municipal Hall of Santa Maria. This is the biggest waterfall in the Ilocos Region as the eastern branch of the Santa Maria. It drops from a height of some 85 feet to a narrow gorge below many miles away from the South China Sea. It is considered as the most picturesque waterfalls and considered the pride of Santa Maria.
Santiago Cove in Ilocos Sur is a stretch of golden sand beach in Santiago with amenities for picnics and water sports. It is approximately 51 km away from San Fernando La Union.
The church itself is simple with the façade flanked by two square columns wherein the main attraction of the church is the statue of the crucified Christ. The feast of Santo Cristo Milagroso or “Apo Lacay” as local folks call him, stands out among other religious celebrations in Ilocandia. Every year, thousands of devotees within the region and outside flock to the shrine of Apo Lacay in Sinait several days before his feast which is on the 3rd of May. According to the old tales, boxes containing the images of Apo Lacay and La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc drifted ashore in Logo, a sitio of Dadalaquiten along the boundary of Sinait, Ilocos Sur and Badoc, Ilocos Norte. Although the versions of the origin of the statues vary in some details, they all agree of one thing: Apo Lacay and La Virgen Milagrosa chose where they wanted their images to be. The people of Sinait wanted to bring home La Virgen Milagrosa while Badoc wanted the Crucified Christ. The respective parish priests of Sinait and Badoc ordered men to carry their respective statues home. To their dismay, the statues could not be moved despite the number of men trying to carry them. After failing, the priests tried exchanging the icons instead. The first miracle of the images happened! The images were lifted without difficulty: the Virgin to Badoc, the Crucified Christ to Sinait.
Today, the Sto. Cristo Milagroso attracts devotees just like the Black Nazarene of Quiapo ant the faithful pay homage to Apo Lacay inside the Church. These are annual pilgrimages to the shrine and there is an impenetrable crowd in the church on the first Friday of every month.
The church, classified by experts as Baroque, is famous for its antique wooden altar (retablo) which is still being used. An old choir loft and the pulpit have been preserved but no longer functional.
The beautifully carved three-layered retablo is divided into eight niches, each occupied by saint. Two pairs of three-tiered slender columns flank the church’s façade. A statue of the parish’s patron saint, St. William the Hermit, in the church façade greets visitors and devotees. Magsingal became an independent parish in 1676 and the feast day of St. William the Hermit is celebrated on February 10.
Miracles are attributed to the parish’s patron saint, St. Vincent Ferrer, thus attracting pilgrims from far and near. The church façade has two layers of columns divided by ornate architraves. The convoluted cornices in the church’s top section add beauty to the structure. Octagonal columns top with mini-domes rise from the base on both sides of the church’s façade. The ornate wooden pulpit is still preserved. The parish was established in 1795 and the feast day of St. Vincent Ferrer is celebrated on April 5.
