🇵🇭 VIGAN • Rakit Race: Bamboos and Balance in Mestizo River

"The historic Mestizo river is the place to see. For the very first time, I witnessed an event called rakit race."

[VIGAN, ILOCOS SUR, PHILIPPINES] ► Vigan is surrounded by rivers and these rivers have become a part of the people's life and culture. Improvised materials used to navigate and cross these rivers are, of course, here to stay. In Vigan, there is this material we call as rakit. It's made of dried bamboos. The Viva Vigan Binatbatan Festival of the Arts introduced a new event to allow the millenials and post-millenials to be familiar of rakit, its use and how it is used.

[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO VIGAN!

#VIGAN

The historic Mestizo river is the place to see. For the very first time, I witnessed an event called rakit race. Basically, it's a competition aiming to determine who is the most skillful and fastest in manipulating the rakit.

The event happened on 04 May 2016 in Celedonia Garden in Brgy Beddeng Laud as part of the Viva Vigan Festival. Well, I don't have more words to say this time so I'm bombarding this post with photos and allow these photos to speak a thousand words.

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

[VIGAN] ► RAKIT RACE AT MESTIZO RIVER, 2016

Four sectors of the community were here and each sector had their contender. The sectors who participated are the NGOs, DepEd, Vigan LGU employees and the City Scholars. The winner received five thousand pesos. | end |

04 MAY 2016: RAKIT RACE IN MESTIZO RIVER
THIS MAN SKILLFULLY MANIPULATES THE RAKIT

[VIGAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO MESTIZO RIVER!

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post is filed under the category "Customs and Traditions." This is a category here on my blog where I write my experiences, note down my insights and post photo essays about customs and traditions I've seen or experienced then I weave them into stories. There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category.

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

[3] All photos are mine.

[4] The insights, conditions and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you experience the rakit race in Vigan. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

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