Vigan Heritage: Celebrating Christmas Virtually

Virtual Christmas!

"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." Filipinos are indeed the world's most Christmas-oriented people on the planet. We acknowledge the Christmas season as early as September, with radio stations playing Christmas music on September 1st. Every city and town in the Philippines has its own unique style of commemorating the season. A yearly tradition in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Vigan, draws a large crowd to participate in the unveiling of the Christmas tree.

The heritage of vigan launching a new christmas tree has different theme yearly. In 2015, the presentation of Vigan Christmas tree held on October 26, 2015 in front of the Vigan City Hall. The body of the Christmas tree was hidden by a big white curtain. Bigueños gathered in large numbers to  join in this annual tradition. The event is one of the highlights of the Raniag Twilight Festival, which takes place every year for a week. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the City Government restricted the public to attend this year’s opening ceremony but instead have them witness it live online through the City’s official Facebook Page. Meanwhile, Vigan City Productivity Center Chief Jonalyn Ponce said that this year’s budget for the Christmas Tree is way lower compared to the previous years. Furthermore, ponce added that there will be city employees together with the Philippine National Police to man both the attractions to ensure the proper implementation of the Basic Health Protocols for those who want to visit.

I like the idea where we get the chance to join and celebrate the christmas trough online. In my opinion, this is a very good solution to celebrate it knowing our situation. We dont have to think about our safety and be comfortably celebrate it with peace. However, the other idea where some visitors can enter the heritage is what i cannot agree. This is because some people tend to break the protocols and forget the social distancing and this ignorance can increas the cases of covid patients. I'm not saying that it's bad to visit, it just that i think it's not yet the rigth time to come and join the celebration of christmas during this panemic. Im concered because we don't see these deadly virus and just one mistake of one person can lead to a massive number of infected people. In my last opinion, I suggest that the goverment should  further tighten their security so that everybody can ensure their safety.

The many traditions and rich culture is part of the Bigueño's social well-being. When we don't see people dancing in the streets to the melodies of our culture and tradition, we get sad. When our plazas do not host events and shows, we become enraged. This just show how important for us to celebrate the birth of our savior. It's so heartwarming to know that us Bigueños will always find a way to make these occasions happen. I am also glad and thankful to be part of them and witness the beauty of our culture in celebrating the Christmas. Indeed, it's so fun in the pamayanan!

References:https://www.edmaration.com/2015/10/vigan-unveiling-of-christmas-tree/

http://vigancity.gov.ph/its-christmas-season-in-vigan-city/