[Vigan] ► Abel House Decor for Viva Vigan Festival 2017

It's a testament that the Bigueño culture is so rich that we have to look for alternative outlets to express and unleash the overflowing love for our culture that we have safeguarded in our hearts, sealed with passion, enforced by community awareness.

[Vigan, Ilocos Sur Province, Ilocos Region, Luzon Island, Luzon Group, Philippines]

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[VIGAN] ► Abel clothe is the very spirit of Vigan's weaving culture. This building has an abel Iloko-decorated façade. #TownExplorer#Viganpic.twitter.com/L9Ps0kPIJF

— #TownExplorer (@edmaration) May 8, 2017

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[VIGAN] ► I live in a city that's so rich in culture that we have to decorate our building façades with our traditional loomwoven fabric called Abel just to have an outlet of expression of our overflowing love for our culture. ◾ #TownExplorer #Vigan #IlocosSur #Ilocos #Luzon #Philippines #SouthEastAsia #Asia / #AbelIloko #Culture #Heritage #BinatbatanFestival #Travel #Adventure #Adventurer #Traveler #TravelGram #InstaTravel #Ilocano #IlocanoIGers #IGersIlocos #ChoosePhilippines #Blogger #TravelBlogger #Edmaration #VisitPH #VisitPhilippines . More photos, videos and stories of town explorations at www.edmaration.com.

A post shared by #TownExplorer (@edmaration) on May 17, 2017 at 7:49am PDT

In Vigan, the abel Iloko (locally made traditional woven fabric) is not just for clothes, blankets, table covers and Binatbatan Festival costumes. It's also for building façade decoration.

I live in a city that thrives in the richness of its culture and heritage—overflowing, overwhelming, deeply-rooted, deeply-founded. 

On how our ancestors birthed a culture that's so rich is like a magic—now a reality for us. Our ancestors created a civilization for them, now a great heritage of the present Ilocanos.

[VIGAN] ► THE PROVINCIAL TOURISM OFFICE OF ILOCOS SUR DECORATED THEIR OFFICE WITH THESE ABEL FABRIC.

Every year, the Heritage City of Vigan has a Binatbatan Festival that primarily showcases the abel Iloko fabric. The festival features diverse Bigueño arts and culture but the abel fabric is the superstar.

The façades of buildings and ancestral houses in Vigan are also decorated with abel during this festival. It's a testament that the Bigueño culture is so rich that we have to look for alternative outlets to express and unleash the overflowing love for our culture that we have safeguarded in our hearts, sealed with passion, enforced by community awareness. When we could no longer contain the great love in our hearts enforced by our beautiful culture, it bursts with meaningful colors, songs, dances, literary pieces, performing arts, fashion and creativity. When that happens, the people are happy.

[VIGAN] ► THE VIGAN PLAZA HOTEL IS A CONSISTENT PARTICIPANT FOR THIS ABEL HOUSE DECOR EVENT.

On April 29, 2017, I walked around the city center to witness the early birds for this abel decoration event. Some buildings have already finished the decoration, some were still decorating, some haven't started yet. Among the early birds were the UCPB, Vigan Plaza Hotel, Plaza Maestro Convention Center Building (formerly CAP building), EastWest Bank and the Ilocos Sur Tourism Office.

During my walk, the following were still finishing their decorations: BDO - Quezon Avenue Branch, Dunkin' Donuts and Mercury Drug. Please see my video blog above under YouTube tab to watch the other buildings not posted here. Later in the first few days of May, there were many participants more than I expected.

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Plaza Maestro Convention Center Building was the first building I visited for this documentation.

Abel fabric with floral design is for the Plaza Maestro Convention Center (formerly CAP Building).

Vigan Plaza Hotel is a consistent participant of this abel house decor event.

The Vigan Plaza Hotel is one of the early birds to finish this task.

Vigan Plaza Hotel's huge windows were decorated by abel fabric.

The Vigan Plaza Hotel is a consistent contender.

Lamps and Abel.

Burnay and empanada plates served as designs for the abel fabric.

The Vigan spirit of safeguarding and displaying our heritage is alive until now. The evidence could be seen 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The abel fabric decorations are colors that define the ingenuity of the Ilocanos. Their presence are the little things that once shaped (and continue to shape) our culture. Their absence would not complete our identity as present-day Bigueños.

As long as people outside Vigan patronage our Vigan products, abel weaving will continue, hence, you are helping Bigueño millennials find themselves, their identity. For the modern-day youth, abel may seem passé, but deep in my heart, I would like my future kids and grand kids to still embrace the beautiful culture and heritage our ancestors have enjoyed—and I am enjoying now. | end |

ABEL HOUSE DECOR THROUGH THE YEARS

BLOG TIMELINE:▼ 2012
▼
It is exposed to sun, air, rain and other elements but I tell you, Abel Iloko fabric is very durable.
| ▼ 2013
▼
This time, the ancestral houses can not run from this fever. These houses need to be a medium of showing to the world the Bigueños' love for their city.
| ► 2017

Map Showing the Location of #Vigan

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] The above story is Part of the Viva Vigan Binatbatan Festival of the Arts 2017.

[2] This post was filed under the category "Customs and Traditions" See more posts related to this below.

[3] The maps I used on this post are from maps.google.com.ph.

[4] All photos are mine.

[5] The insights, condition and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you try or see the properties or places mentioned here. Names of places and properties may also change by time so it's not my responsibility to update all the information on this blog because once published, I already consider it an archive and I won't update my narratives because I want them to become my references of what have happened in the past. I'm very particular of the dates because I want my amazing readers to understand that I am writing stories based on my perspective and insights on the day of my visit. You can see dates almost everywhere on this blog. Exempted from this rule are my travel guide posts that need to be updated.