"...this is just the surface of what you should know and for you to understand the details of the tradition, you need to become a Bigueño and practice it with us—the intangible heritage is for us to keep."

[VIGAN, ILOCOS SUR, PHILIPPINES] ▬ My childhood is years of fantasies, dreams and dreams in the guise of a fantasy. It was sustained until adulthood. Why this? How's related to Halloween? Duh.

[VIGAN] ▬ FILE PHOTO: VIGAN CITY, CIRCA NOVEMBER 2011

▬ Flashback: Of Being a Kid and These Seasons ▬

I WAS SEVEN (7) OR EIGHT (8) YEARS OLD when I acquired my own personal map. It was actually a notebook with a world map divided into several pages. I persuaded my parents to buy that notebook for me. It was for the world map, after all. That was the start of daydreaming—on how will I visit those places printed on the map (when I grow up) in different seasons: Christmas, New Year's Day, Halloween, winter, spring, summer, fall, National I-Love-You Day, Kidney Disease Awareness Month, Linggo ng Wika, International Women's Day, December solstice and any day the encyclopedia could provide.

It's Halloween, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in Vigan and I realized the little childhood fantasies that are slowly coming true give me life, like, a nostalgia that exudes motivation to continue dreaming and make it all come true in time. I think it's good to start where the heart is; where the dreams are made of; where I was born.

Ok, the result of these childhood goals is this travel blog you're reading now. I've always wanted to document how every town looks like during holidays and special days like this. I had this childhood curiosity what to see in these places (on the first ever map I acquired) on these days. So now, I want to start the goal where it was made. I know I'm not the only kid in the world who might have thought about that. So, if you are the man who used to be the kid that I was, this is for you because this post is all about the things that happen in my hometown Vigan during Halloween, All Souls' Day and All Saints' Day.

I realized I have to start writing about the hometown because there are kids out there who might have been curious about what happens in Vigan during these seasons. Since I know how you feel kid, I'll take charge of the task of bringing you the face of this city on the screen of your computer or device. So here it is kid. Satisfy your curiosity. I'll bring you in Vigan before, during and after Halloween. I'll give you the details because as I said, I know how you feel. I know how this unsatisfied curiosity turns you insomniac. You're lucky, I'm from Vigan and I know a lot! Hah!

▬ Before Halloween: Defeating the Darkness ▬

THE CITY OF VIGAN IS FULL OF colors due to its very rich culture and heritage. Somehow, the American pop culture has its room in the heart of every Bigueño. They believe that Halloween is for ghosts and darkness, hence, the trick and treat. On the other hand, to defeat the darkness, the people of Vigan has made a way to turn the city bright before, during and after the Halloween. Come, .

[VIGAN] ▬ FILE PHOTO: LIGHTING OF GIANT CHRISTMAS TREE, 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ PEOPLE FLOCKED HERE TO JOIN THE UNVEILING OF CHRISTMAS TREE

Every year, there is a giant Christmas tree in Vigan and it has been a tradition to unveil it before the crowd. This event also marks the start of the annual Raniag Twilight Festival!

▬ The Raniag Twilight Festival ▬

THIS FESTIVAL CAME INTO EXISTENCE BECAUSE OF Halloween, All Souls' Day and All Saints' Day. Since these days are important part of the life of many Bigueños, it was born to turn the intangible culture into a festival.

[VIGAN] ▬ FILE PHOTO: RANIAG STREET DANCING, 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ RANIAG STREET DANCERS DRESSED LIKE ARCHANGELS

Among the must-see features of this festivals are the Flight of Sky Lantern, , candle floaters offering at the Mestizo River and the .

▬ At the Public Market ▬

IN THE PUBLIC MARKET, FLOWER VENDORS SPROUT everywhere. This kind of business during this season is very lucrative so it is not surprising if you go to the public market and see flowers everywhere, anywhere.

[VIGAN] ▬ VIGAN PUBLIC MARKET FLOWER SHOPS

[VIGAN] ▬ FLOWER VENDORS IN THE VIGAN PUBLIC MARKET

[VIGAN] ▬ PREARRANGED FLOWERS

▬ The Traffic Situation ▬

IN VIGAN, THE ROADS THAT LEAD YOU to the major cemeteries can give you headache. The traffic jam is severe. To give you an idea about the traffic situation, .

[VIGAN] ▬ TRAFFIC SITUATION IN VIGAN: NOVEMBER 01, 2015

[VIGAN] ▬ THE VERY BUSY ALCANTARA STREET

▬ The Cemetery ▬

THE FOUR (4) MAJOR CEMETERIES IN VIGAN IS where most of the populace are. The people of Vigan love staying on the grave of their departed love ones overnight. The cemetery also serves as the rendezvous of long lost relatives, hence, there is a great grand family reunion. So why go home early if you have the reason to stay there until midnight? The answer: It's grand family day in the cemetery. Ooops, the dead relatives included maybe. To learn more about this tradition, .

▬ Ending Words ▬

HEY KID! I HOPE I SATISFIED YOUR curiosity. Yes, this is the face of Vigan during Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls' Day. In fact, this is just the surface of what you should know and for you to understand the details of the tradition, you need to become a Bigueño and practice it with us—the intangible heritage is for us to keep.

How about you? How does your town look like during seasons like these? ▬ end

[VIGAN] ▬ THE PUBLIC CEMETERY AT NIGHT

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Special Features." To see more posts from this category, scroll down and look for the "More Posts from this Category Special Features" section below.

[2] The information posted on this article is based on a first-hand knowledge I've learned through the more than 20 years of my residency in this city, that is since birth. I am very familiar of the culture and traditions of Vigan and I grew up practicing many of these traditions.

[3] All maps I used on this post are the works of Eugene Alvin Villar and Mike Gonzalez published on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2 |