The beautiful Bambanti bash

I attended the Bambanti Festival in Ilagan City, Isabela Province, for the first time. With a choice between catching the day’s solitary flight and braving an eight-hour land trip, I was still determining whether the festival could draw visitors to witness and appreciate the festivities I knew little about. I should have learned that the Provincial Government of Isabela perfectly plans this event every January when the temperature, a nippy 17 °C, adds a touch to the anticipation of the evening. It was a unique experience compared to other festivals I’ve been to. We were even fortunate enough to witness a beautiful full moon rising as an added feature while enjoying the beat of the music and the fireworks.

The festival highlights the region’s abundance of rice, corn and other agricultural products, with the festival’s central theme being the bambanti, which is Ilocano for “scarecrow.” Traditional scarecrows are used to scare crows away and protect crops from damage. In this festival, the bambanti is paid homage to and, more significantly, works of art put together in competition. Joining the competition are cities and municipalities of the province in an agricultural fair with bamboo booths constructed to showcase their agricultural produce. Beside each booth is a bambanti made from small twigs, plants, mosaic tiles and papier-mache.

All roads lead to Isabela on this significant occasion.

The highlight of the festival is the Bambanti Dance Competition. One thousand six hundred dancers from 16 cities and municipalities compete, mouthing the same chant: “Bambanti, Isabela!” These contestants begin their training in August. The results are veritable distinctive movements with a musical beat known to remain pleasantly in the spectator’s mind way past the Bambanti event.

The dance event attracts spectators from far and wide, the extravaganza resonating in their memory until the following creative festivity comes around.

The sports arena has a seating capacity of 12,000—what a vast number of happy spectators congregating in one place to remember a day of spirited regalia! What made the event spectacular was the high energy and nonstop dancing in sequential order with no gaps in between. The costumes went with the theme, which was about agricultural produce.

The festival celebrates a bountiful harvest and promotes tourism and economic growth when the people’s products are on sale. It reminds visitors of the importance of food production and agriculture in rural development. I left with a deeper appreciation of the hardworking farmer and the people’s creativity in choosing the bambanti as a unifying figure that brings the people of Isabela together to create an event they are proud to be part of. I am always thankful to be invited to witness such a meaningful event as the Bambanti Festival.