Igbaras celebrates the Tangyan Festival
Participants in Tangyan Festival
*The Tangyan River has immense economic importance in Igbaras. It also serves as a scenic point of interest for tourism
The growth of human civilization is intimately associated to rivers. The earliest known civilizations arose in the great river valleys of southwest Asia, northwest India, and northern China. The "cradle of civilization," Mesopotamia is named after a Greek word meaning "between the rivers." The Indus River Valley became an instrument in the rise of an advanced Bronze Age culture that lasted for 1,000 years. The first Chinese civilization to develop a comprehensive writing system and left a written record is the Shang Dynasty that was centered in the Yellow River Valley.
Some communities have revered the life-giving importance of rivers for thousands of years. And in Igbaras, a 4th class town located in the southwestern portion of the province and 40-kilometers away from the city of Iloilo, the connection of water in all aspects of life is celebrated.
Contestants in Tangyan Festival Tribe Competition
The Tangyan River has immense economic importance in Igbaras. It has functioned as the economic heartland of the town where many are engaged in agriculture. The most fertile areas for farming are in the plains near Tangyan tributaries. It provides irrigation water for agriculture to nearly 4,093-hectares of ricelands. Food crops grown in the basin include corn, peanuts, monggo and garlic.
It also serves as a scenic point of interest for tourism. Its scenic beauty served as the mingling point for the town's springs and waterfalls. Guided tours through the scenic Nadsadjan and Guiritsan Falls have developed into a thriving tourism industry. In recent years, the Igcabugao Cave, situated nearby the river tributary has become an important attraction and has begun to attract ecological tourism. The goal of such guided tours is to attract independent travelers by encouraging more manageable ecotourism or cultural tourism.
The river is also intricately associated with benchmark events in Igbaras history. Some of these include the destruction of prominent edifices such as the Casa Real of 1799 at Calle de San Agustin; the old church 1784; and the convent 1795 that were washed away by the big floods, although remains are still visible today.
After the river overflow accident last year, the work of nature and of humans has helped to remove many of its overt signs, and the recovery process, though slow, is well underway. Out of an environmental and human tragedy has come the will to build a new, sustainable community.
THE FESTIVAL. Tangyan Festival is dedicated to the preservation, protection and sharing of the cultural heritages of the town of Igbaras. It is the time to be thankful for the river that the people depend upon for their livelihood and economic development.
A popular family festival, Tangyan is celebrated every second week in May where the town unites in recognizing the role of the river in their lives' past, present and in the future. Many people, as far as its rural villages stream in to take part in the celebration as community groups set-up booths to share information and sell food, crafts and other merchandise.
This year, the festivity will host daily special events that are expected to draw large number of people. The Opening Salvo and Street Dancing Competition at 8 am; the Opening of Agro Industrial Fair at 1:30 pm; and Stationary Drum Beat Competition at 2 pm took place last May 10, 2007. The 2nd Mt. Napulak Climbathon at 6:30 am and the Search for Lin-ay kag Ulitao sang Tangyan at 7 pm are scheduled for May 16, 2007.
The Tangyan Festival 2007 Main Event at 7 am is on May 18, 2007.
Be a witness to one of the most popular spectator sport in the province as competitors from all over the region test their skills, speed capabilities and endurance in the Mountain Bike Competition on May 19, 2007 at 8 a.m. and Motor Cross Competition on may 20, 2007 at 8 am.
The people of Igbaras headed by Mayor Jaime Esmeralda, have chosen to work together to ensure a better, more stable future by following the vision the community voices, "Ecologically balanced, progressive, politically mature, peace loving, self-reliant, God centered and healthy constituents leading towards improved quality of life."