"Our Biguenious culture is so rich that expressing it in words isn't enough; we need to express it in festivities and manifest it in our intangible good traditions so that others can understand."
Filipinos are unquestionably the most festive people on the planet. Christmas music can be heard on radio stations as early as September 1st, signaling the start of the holiday season. Every city and town in the Philippines celebrates the season in their own distinctive way. The annual unveiling of the Christmas tree in Vigan, a World Heritage City, draws a large crowd of residents.

Party on the Street, especially along the famous coubled stone calle crisologo and its adjacent streets is almost a known folk traditions during festivities. Seeing a flocks of Biguenious is not as common as during a pre pandemic Christmas celebrations rather a usual observing a minimum public health standards. A restricted celebrations will always come to an exist as a new normal movements and easement among people could not hampered our traditional folks of Biguenious of celebrating the birth of messiah - Jesus Christ.
EVERY YEAR, THE HERITAGE CITY OF VIGAN DEBUTTES A NEW CHRISTMAS TREE, WITH A NEW THEME. The 2021 Vigan Christmas Tree was unveiled in front of the Vigan City Hall on October 26, 2021. The Christmas tree's trunk was hidden behind a massive white curtain. Biguenious flocked to this annual tradition in large numbers.
The Heritage City of Vigan will officially start the Christmas season on November 27, 2021, with the simultaneous lighting of this year's colorful 37-foot Christmas Tree in front of Vigan City Hall and the Christmas Village at Vigan Conservation Complex. Due to the pandemic, the City Government has restricted the public's ability to attend this year's opening ceremony, instead allowing them to watch it live online via the City's official Facebook Page. During this pandemic, the massive, gleaming Christmas Tree inspires hope and positivity in every Biguenious and Ilocano. Despite the odds caused by the pandemic, the Christmas vibes in Vigan continued as the annual Artes Ita Paskua of the City Government of Vigan got its way last December 07 -17, 2021 with the new normal set-up in which most of the events were done online and others with limited participants to comply with the City Covid-19 Task Force's Minimum Health Standards.

To
avoid mass gatherings while still enjoying the season, the City Events, Promotions,
and Protocol Office directed barangay and home-based competitions such as the
Inter-Barangay Christmas Installation Contest, which was held last December
7-8, 2021, in which different barangays of the city displayed their Nativity
Scenes, Christmas Trees, and other colorful and bright Christmas related
decorations in their respective Barangay Halls and covered courts made of
recycled mater. The
judging of entries and the awarding of winners were done by personally visiting
them in their barangays; in the end, the following were declared as winners and
received cash prizes and trophies. The City Government's various offices and divisions continued to bring the
Christmas season and positive vibes into their respective offices by putting up
recycled Christmas Trees. Each entry depicts the works and services of their
department and was judged on December 14, 2021. The Lantern or Parol is a
traditional representation of Filipinos at Christmas, and its creation has
become one of the highlights of the city's annual Artes Ita Paskua. One of the most recent events for the celebration this year is an essay
competition that addresses the grown-up wishes or dreams of a Biguenious while
providing hope and entertainment to its readers. The competition was open to
all Biguenious aged 25 and up, but due to the current situation, the number of
participants was limited to ten. To accommodate the new setup, the essay's
theme was sent to the participants simultaneously thirty minutes before the
allotted time of the competition. Participants then scanned and sent their
handwritten master piece to the organizers for judging. The Street Painting
Competition quickly became one of Artes Ita Paskua's most anticipated events,
with artists from all over the city eagerly participating to show off their
creativity and passion for the arts. The fifteen entries this year gave their
best interpretation of Ilocano Christmas Traditions and Family Values. The
event was scheduled for three days last December 09-11, 2021, with participants
divided into three batches to adhere to the City's Health Protocols. The
winners were honored at the Vigan Conservation Complex.

To further entice Biguenious families and discern the true essence of Christmas in
the midst of the pandemic, various families with five members participated in
this year's Sa May Bahay-Christmas Carol Competition on December 12, 2021,
where each entry was allowed to choose any Christmas Song with acoustic or
recycled accompaniment. The voice quality, blending, and authenticity of the
video were used to determine the winners, as editing and the use of enhancers
and microphones were prohibited. On December 13, 2021, the city's various film
enthusiasts and adorable Biguenious children shine at the Christmas Dokyu Film
Competition and Santa Baby–Photography Competition. The short film entries ranged
in length from three to six minutes and featured children's Christmas stories.
In addition, to adhere to health protocols, the organizers limited the number
of members per entry. Adorable Christmas characters, on the other hand, were
expressed through the Santa Baby: Photography Contest, in which Biguenious toddlers
dressed up in their best and cutest Christmas costumes. Models were only allowed
to take photos inside their homes using a mobile phone during the competition. According to them, competitions were judged virtually through the CEPPO and TVigan Channel. By putting up recycled Christmas trees, the City Government's various offices and divisions continued to bring the Christmas season and positive vibes into their respective offices. Each entry depicts their department's works and services and was judged on December 14, 2021.On December 16, 2021, twelve equally young and talented
ladies competed in this year's Little Miss Santa Claus, where the candidates
ramped up and showcased virtually their Christmas inspired costumes, talents,
and wit during an online casual interview.
Due to the pandemic, this year's competition was too different from previous years in which the City Government of Vigan, through the City Events, Promotions, and Protocol Office, in collaboration with the TVigan Channel, and under the supervision of the City Covid-19 Task Force, took all necessary actions to follow health protocols while celebrating our Artes Ita Paskua."
It also emphasized that the City pushed through the celebration in order to give hope and allow the Biguenious to still feel the spirit of Christmas in these trying times. Truly, a Biguenious Families enables and is much discern of the true essence of Christmas amidst of the threat of pandemic. A meaningful Christmas celebration comes with a gift giving. A Christmas is symbol of Christ. And Christ is a symbol of Love.
REFERENCES:
Vigan City: "It's Christmas Season in Vigan City". Retrieved on January 19, 2020.
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