Philippines: Mat Festival

Festivals[edit]

Basey, Samar's Banigan-Kawayan Festival.

The Kawayan-Banigan Festival Parade is a yearly dance parade of pageantry and colorful mats, winding through the town key streets, reliving the two main source of livelihood of Basaynons –bamboo and mat weaving - through their music, dance and drama. It is celebrated every September 28 & 29.^[6][7]

This festival became famous when hundred of community folks paraded a one-meter wide mat and claimed now as the world’s longest mat in Fiesta feat in year 2000. Since then, the town, which has weaving as its prime industry, comes to life when it celebrates outlandishly the feast of St. Michael, its patron saint.^[8][9]

The highlight of the feast is the Banigan-Kawayan Festival, where the women of Basey weave a variety of intricately designed mats from sedge grass locally known as tikog (Fimbristylis miliacea). This tradition was handed down from many generations, and up to now.^[10]

Libertad, Antique's Banigan Festival.

Libertad’s rich culture is showcased in a yearly Banigan Festival. The festival started 8 years ago by then Mayor Mary Jean Te. Banigan derived from the word banig (mat) the main product of the municipality. The festival’s concept is based on the importance of banig (bariw) weaving as major means of livelihood of the Libertadnons. The celebration involves various activities highlighted by the Mardi gras and esteemed Lin-ay kang Libertad, a beauty pageant which showcases the beauty, intelligence and character of Libertadnon young ladies. One of the most awaited contest’s categories of the pageant is the banig gown competition. Banigan Festival is celebrated every March 14-16.^[11]

Banig products has since gained importance prompting local officials and Libertadnons to establish the Banigan Festival to promote banig (bariw brown mats) and sub-products of banig as their One-town-One Product (OTOP). The festival also aims to encourage the banig weavers that the banig they produced could possibly turn into a highly valuable item that can be known not only in the province but also in the international market.

The Banigan festival is very popular for its banig weaving demonstration to visitors and tourists. Varieties of hats, bags, slippers and gowns made of banig are also exhibited during the festival. The celebration is also a tribute to the town's mat weavers who have preserved the priceless tradition of their forefathers.

Thus, this traditional craft remains viable and continues to flourish in the wider market, but its sustainability depends on the willingness of the skillful young generation to keep alive the tradition that is the stamp of the real Antiqueno's ingenuity, diligence and dexterity.

Badian, Cebu's Banig Festival.

In celebration of Badian’s Annual Fiesta, the Banig Festival showcases the town's various handicrafts, cultures, and delicacies, focusing specifically on the native handwoven mats known as “banig.” This festival, which is observed every July 3, includes street dancing with costumes made using banig material, a trade fair showcasing the banig and other native products, and a banig-making contest.^[12][13]

Barangay Sapal, San Lorenzo, Guimaras' Banigan Festival[edit]

The provincial government of Guimaras showcases the various municipal and barangay celebrations during its Manggahan Festival every April 5.

The island-province boasts of at least 21 annual local celebrations ranging from municipal level fair of ‘Asinan Festival’ to the more prominent ‘Ang Pagtaltal Sa Balaan Bukid.’

Guimaras, aside from its main mango produce, also celebrates 10 barangay-level festivals. These are the Banigan Festival, Bayuhan Festival, Kadagatan Festival, Karosahan Festival, Layagan Festival, Rosas Sa Baybayon Festival, Sarangola Festival, Sibiran Festival, Pangasi Festival, and Niyogyogan Festival.^[14]

Banigan Festival focuses on the use of ‘banig’ or dried pandan leaves as mats and various handicrafts. It is celebrated every April 15 at Barangay Sapal, in the municipality of San Lorenzo.^[15]

San Juan, Ilocos Sur's Buri Festival.

Also known as century plant, buri (Corypha elata Roxb.), is a palm from which three kinds of fibers (i.e., buri, raffia, and buntal) are obtained. It is locally known as silag. The buri palm has large fan-shaped leaves with stout petioles ranging from two to three meters in length. The palm reaches a height of 20 to 40 meters and its trunk has a diameter of one to 1.5 meters.

Buri is San Juan's official product registered under the One Town One Product (OTOP) program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

On January 3, 2006 during the holding of the First Buri Festival, thousands of Ilocanos queued along the streets with the 2.4-kilometer long and one-meter wide buri mat. Residents consider it “a symbol of their undying love for the cottage industry that they proudly call their own.”^[16]

Though short of the earlier target of weaving a four-kilometer buri mat, they were still able to surpass the country’s unpublished world record on longest mat woven in Basey town in Samar Province six years ago.

On September 20, 2000, hundreds of people paraded a more than one-kilometer long mat as a highlight of Basey town's Banigan-Kawayan Festival. The one-meter wide mat was woven for several weeks. However, the feat was not submitted as an entry to the Guinness Book of World Records.

San Juan Mayor Benjamin Sarmiento said that they failed to achieve their target of a four-kilometer long mat because street dancers and parade revelers used up a great deal of the raw materials for their costumes.

Sarmiento said that weaving the mats started early on the second semester of the year by all local industry weavers in the town. Each weaver was assigned to weave a five-meter long with more than a meter width mat. The mats were then connected by sewing them from both sides.

San Juan Councilor Proceso Ochosa said that the First Buri Festival was meant to promote the buri industry in the local and world markets. “The launching of the longest mat is the highlight of our buri festival this year and would be staged annually with the inspiration to get the distinction of having woven the world’s longest mat and promote buri to the world market.”

They also want San Juan to be named "The Buri Capital of the Philippines” Ochosa added.

Buri palm trees are abundant in Baranggays (villages) Cacandongan, Darao, Malammin, Caronoan, Camanggaan, Immayos Norte and Barbar. Of the 32 baranggays in San Juan, half of them are engaged in the buri industry.

Usage.

Tourism Slogan.

It's more fun in the Philippines (2012-present)

MORE FUN. This is the tourism campaign line for international audience.

HASHTAG FUN. This is the tourism campaign line for domestic use.

The two logos feature a pixelized version of a "banig" or a handwoven mat traditionally used for sleeping and sitting. Within the pixels is the Philippine map embedded in yellow.

The "banig" shows off the artistry and the superb skills of the native weavers -- a hint that the creative process in this campaign harnesses the Filipino's innate skills.^[17]