Arts and Crafts of Luzon (Lowlands)

Ilocos Region:

Abel Weaving – Vigan Traditional Crafts

The abel is the traditional woven product of Vigan and the Ilocos region. The abel
cloth is known for being a strong, colorful material. The fabric is so strong and
beautiful that some families have them as heirlooms that last as long as their antique
furnishings. The abel is made from yarns of cotton or sagut that are sourced from the
many lands in northern Luzon that are dedicated to the growing of this plant. After the
cotton is harvested, it is prepared into yarns and dyed. The different colored yarns are
then arranged in a wooden handloom to create varied and unique designs. The process
is intricate and labor-intensive. Weavers must master synchronizing the movements of
their hands and feet to properly use the wooden handloom.

The use of the handlooms and other weaving accessories can be traced from early
Spanish occupation. This equipment was used in homes to weave abel cloth for
blankets, pillow cases and clothes. These crafts were said to be a major export during
the period of the Spanish galleon trade. It is said that the abel was so popular a
product that it proved to be a big competition to the Spanish weaving industry,
threatening its very existence. At present, only a few of the barangays in Vigan have
maintained this age-old weaving industry.

Barangays Camangaan, Mindoro and San Pedro are among these. Barangay Mindoro
is known for producing binakol or blankets with geometric patterns. Barangays
Camangaan and San Pedro also have their own distinct designs. However, it is
Barangay Camangaan that is most known because it is the source of most of the abel
products that are sold by shops in Crisologo Street and the Vigan Public Market,
where local and foreign visitors buy their souvenirs. Abel products are best as
wedding gifts because they are very sturdy and beautifully-designed; but, most buyers
need no excuse to buy them outside of their great craftsmanship, which can be
enjoyed as bed and table linen. There are also wall decors, mosquito nets, towels,
robes and clothing that are sold using the abel.

The design and colors of the abel are somewhat similar to those found in the
Cordillera region, but it is continually evolving as present-day designers strive to
update its use for the greater appreciation of the public. Local designers with the
support of government mount fashion shows to show how the hand-made abel can be
used with other fabrics to create clothes for everyday and special occasions.
Luthgarda in Los Angeles, has also used the abel in its ready-to-wear collection since
1998, attracting the attention of Hollywood celebrities. Her abel-accented designs are
also exported to Asian and European countries. Source: http://www.vigan.ph/arts-and-
crafts/abel-weaving-vigan-traditional-crafts.html

Burnay Jars – Burnay Pottery

Jars made from Vigan are much sought-after by foreign and local visitors. This
earthenware is called burnay. The industry that has grown from the making of burnay
dates back to pre-colonial times when immigrants from China came to settle in Vigan.
They practiced the craft of making earthenware using the grade A clay that was found
in plenty in the Western area of Vigan. The making of burnay is done with just the use
of the potter’s skillful hands and use of pottery wheel and kiln. Fine sand is used to
temper the clay, which once fashioned into the desired shape is placed inside high-
temperature ground kilns made from brick and clay. Compared to terracotta, people
say that the burnay is hardier.

Its earlier use was for tea drinking, and as container for salt, brown sugar, water, local
wine (basi) and bagoong (fermented fish). It is even said that basi and bagoong taste
much better when stored inside burnays. Nowadays, people buy them mostly to serve
as decorations inside their homes and gardens. Miniature versions of the jars are also
made in abundance because they have become a favorite souvenir item of foreign and
local tourists.

Liking for the burnay has reached the markets abroad, especially in Europe. Local and
foreign traders have made contacts with factory owners to order from their current
offerings or for burnay products to be done according to new buyer or market
specifications. Most of the local traders come from Manila and Bulacan. The biggest
local trader of burnay is said to be the Bulacan Garden. Most of the foreign traders are
from Great Britain and Belgium. The continuous demand for the local earthern craft
has sustained the livelihood of many Chinese and

Fil-Chinese generations who own burnay factories or camarin, and the preservation of
the craft. The Pagburnayan or the place where these camarins can be found is in the
Baranggay VII, in the Southwest part of the city. There are only about three burnay
camarins now in existence all over the country, and they are all in Vigan. Tour
packages to Vigan are sure to include a visit to Pagburnayan, as it is a must-see
attraction. One of the descendants of Chinese immigrants who introduced burnay-
making in Vigan, Fidel Go has been awarded by the National Commission on Culture
and Arts in 1990 as National Folk Artist. He is the owner of Ruby Pottery and until
now continues to practice and sustain the craft of burnay-making. Source:
http://www.vigan.ph/arts-and-crafts/burnay-jars-burnay-pottery.html

Cagayan Valley:
Batanes is famous for the old women’s headgear called vakul. It is ordinarily made
large and waist length to cover the old women from the heat of the sun and the rain. It
is made from the abaca fiber of the palm found only in Batanes that locals call
vuyavuy. It takes three weeks to a month to make the headgear, but it lasts a lifetime.

Vakul owners maintain their headgear by constantly combing its strands and hanging
it on the walls of their house when not in use. Although the vakuls are mostly sold in
Basco for P300 to P350, they are traditionally woven by old women in the small
barangay of Chavayan in the Sabtang Island. Makers also sell vakuls cheaper by
P100-150. When old women wear them, under it is a rattan backpack connected to a
headstrap called yuvuk. It contains their belongings for farming as they walk to town
from the fields.

While women wear the vakul, old men wear a traditional vest made from dried banana
leaves called tadidi. They wear it along with a salakot to cover themselves, the same
way the vakul serves the women.

An Ivatan house is built with limestone walls, reeds and cogon roofs, which are sturdy
enough to withstand the numerous typhoons and earthquakes that ravage the islands
an average of eight times a year. The roof usually lasts from 25 to 30 years if there are
roof nets to protect them during typhoon season.

Only three walls of the house have windows. The wall that doesn’t have one faces the
direction of the strongest winds during typhoons. The temperature within its interior is
conditioned. It is relatively cool during the summer and warm during the cold stormy
season.

Most of the time, the doors and windows are left open when the owners leave to do
their daily chores. When they get back, everything is the way they left it even if there
are numerous tourists that pass by to take pictures of its unique and quaint
architecture.

Source:
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Tagalog_Default_Files/Philippine_Culture/region
al%20cultures/northern_luzon_cultures.htm

Central Luzon:

Pampanga:

The parol of star lantern is perhaps the paramount Filipino Christmas symbol –
colorful, crafted with love and aglow with the spirit of the season. The Christmas
lantern or Parul Sampernandu in Kapampangan can never be distanced from the town
which created it, the City of San Fernando. It is what San Fernando is known for. And
it is what has made the city famous all over the country and even around the world.
The word parol derives from the Spanish farol, meaning lantern or light. Filipinos
place much significance on the symbolism of light, the star regarded as a fount of light
and a sign of hope in the predominantly Christian country in Asia. Such a creation
however, did not come without the untiring efforts of the Fernandinos, and more so,
their ingenuity and innovation. And it is because of the Parul Sampernandu that San
Fernando has earned for itself the title of “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.” The
San Fernando lantern industry progressed from the Giant Lantern Festival of San
Fernando. The festival, which is held every December, finds its root in Bacolor where
a much simpler activity was held. “Ligligan Parul” (Lantern Competition) was said to
have started in San Fernando in the year 1904. But some say that the “Ligligan Parul”
did not happen immediately after the transfer and in fact began in 1908. This
forerunner of the present day Giant Lantern Festival was in a religious activity which
we know today as “lubenas”, a nine-day novena before Christmas, which coincided
with the “simbang gabi” from December 16 to 24. This tradition gradually evolved as
the lanterns became bigger and the designs more intricate. Later, one big lantern was
made for each barrio, which was created through a cooperative effort. It was in the
year 1931 the electricity was established in San Fernando, thus sparking the birth of
the first Giant Lantern Festival. The added illusion of dancing lights highlighted the
bright colors and intricate designs of these Giant Lanterns. At this time, the lights
were controlled by individual switches that were turned on and off following the best
of the music. In the years that followed, more improvements were introduced to the
giant lanterns. Colored plastic replaced the traditional papel de hapon. In replacement
of bamboo, the lantern makers weld together a steel frame, which follows the design
itself. The frame is the lined with cardboard and foil followed by another enormous
task, placing the over 5,000 light bulbs in their places and wiring them up together
using hundreds of yards of electrical wires. Large steel barrels called rotors also
replaced the hand-controlled switches to maneuver the lights. Strips of masking tape
on these rotors establish the sequence of the switching on and off of the lights.
Hairpins, attached to the end of the wires leading to each bulb, connect the lights to
the rotor, which in turn, is connected to the source of electricity. Today, the simple
lantern made of paper glued over a bamboo frame with rice paste has evolved into
spectacular shapes and kaleidoscopic splendor – but its message of light and hope
remains the same. Source:
http://cityofsanfernando.gov.ph/forvisitors/giantlanternfestival

Bulacan:

Singkaban Festival: A Showcase of Bulacan Culture and Artistry

Singkabans are artfully-made entrance arches used during fiestas and other important
events in Bulacan. Bamboo is primarily used in creating a singkaban, and the art is
most prevalent in the old towns of Hagonoy and Malolos.

Singkaban Festival is an annual provincial event of Bulacan where Bulakenyo culture

and arts are featured in a week-long celebration. It showcases the traditional arts of
the literary form “Balagtasan,” folk dances, and traditional songs known as
“kundiman.”

The main focus though, is on the singkaban, a Bulakenyo art of creating an entrance
arch and other decorative materials mainly from bamboo.

The main event of the festival is the street dance and float parade where
representatives from different Bulacan towns, as far as San Jose del Monte in the
southeast and San Miguel in the north, travel to Malolos during the festival season.

These events showcase Bulacan's local culture, heritage, and artistry, and the various
towns' entries feature all things Bulakenyo. The singkaban (bamboo artworks), after
which the festival was named, is a prominent theme, especially in the entry of
Hagonoy town. The theme appears as dancers' headdresses, the arch and backdrop of
the Desposorio, and as parts of the dancers' costumes.

Guiguinto's Halamanan Festival, San Ildefonso's Gulay Festival, Pandi's Baro't Saya
Festival, Plaridel's Goto Festival, San Jose del Monte's Camotes Festival, Bustos'
Minasa Festival, and Baliwag's Buntal Hat Festival are just some of the local festivals
that took part in the colorful street dancing during the past Singkaban festivals.

Unlike other famous festivals around the Philippines which feature Mardi Gras-style
revelry, most of Singkaban Festival entries stay true to the local culture of Bulacan.
This is evident in Singkaban's Santa Cruzan theme in which the use of the baro't saya,
the Maria Clara-style gown, the camisa chino, and the singkaban is abundant.

Though named after the singkaban arch, "Singkaban" also stands for SIniNG at
KAlinangan ng BulacAN (Arts and Culture of Bulacan). It is celebrated in Bulacan
every 3rd week of September. Source:
http://www.choosephilippines.com/do/festivals/1038/SingkabanSaBulacan/

Bicol Region:

Abaca Weaving:
Abaca fibers were already being woven into breathable fabrics and made into sturdy
sandals in different parts of the Philippines long before the Spaniards came to the
Philippines in 1521. The abaca is believed to have evolved in the Bicol region of the
Philippines.

The abaca fibers are used in the production of handicraft products such as fashion
accessories, decorative accessories, furniture, garments, textile, packaging materials,
table-top accessories, playthings for pets, sports paraphernalia.

Abaca fibers are also used in sinamay weaving. Sinamay is of less gossamer tissue,
but almost transparent and far more durable than the fabrics made from pineapple
fiber. Sinamay materials are used in making gift boxes; packaging materials,
decorative accessories, wall covering; draperies, fashion accessories, footwear;
tabletop accessories and more Source: http://www.abacaph