Ilocano town stages First Buri Festival

4 MIN READ

SAN JUAN, Ilocos Sur (Dec. 29) — Thousands and thousands of Ilocano villagers, balikbayans and tourists alike joined the revelries along the main streets of San Juan, home of the famous “buri mats”, during the First Buri Festival staged here last Wednesday afternoon.

San Juan officials, residents and tourists take part in the 2.4 kilometer long longest buri mat parade, their bid for the Guinness Book of World Records. Photo courtesy of Ace Alegre

Clad in buri inspired costumes, from hats to slippers and even trinkets, street dancers graced the joyous celebration of parading the San Juaños acclaimed feat — “The World’s Longest Buri Mat”.

Thousands of proud Ilocanos queued along the streets with the 2.4 kilometer long and a meter wide “buri mat” — a symbol of their devotion to the cottage industry they proudly call their own and will develop to become world-class.

The laying down of the buri mat caused a townwide traffic jam as the festival’s parade and street dancing began even under the scorching heat of the sun in this northern Ilocos Sur town.

Though town’s folk failed to weave their earlier target of 4 kilometers buri mat, they were able to surpass the country’s unpublished world record on longest mat in Basey town in Samar Province six years ago.

On September 20, 2000 , hundreds of people paraded a more than a kilometer long mat as a highlight of Basey town’s Banigan-Kawayan Festival. The one-meter wide mat was woven for several weeks. However, the feat was not submitted as an entry to the Guinness Book of World Records.

San Juan town Mayor Benjamin Sarmiento explained that they failed to achieve their target of 4-kilometers because street dancers and parade revelers used up a great deal of the raw materials for their costumes. “We met a problem in the completion of the 4 – kilometer long weaved mat after we further agreed that the parade’s participants will wear “buri inspired attires.” “Although we had a lot of shortcomings in the preparation, we are very proud with the noble support of our constituents for a successful Buri Festival,” he added.

Street dancers garbed in locally made woven “buri” (palm tree) wow thousands of residents, Iluko balikbayans from all over the world and tourists alike during the “First Buri Festival” in San Juan, Ilocos Sur on Dec. 29 afternoon. Photo courtesy of Ace Alegre

The town mayor said weaving the mats started early on the second semester this year by all local industry weavers in the town. Each weaver was assigned to weave a five-meter long with more than a meter width mat. The mats were then connected by sewing them from both sides.

RP’s Buri Capital

Town councilor Proceso Ochosa said that the launching of the “Buri Festival” was one of their noble initiative to promote the “Buri Industry” in the local as well as in the world market.

Buri is San Juan’s official product registered under the “One Town One Product” (OTOP) program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

“The launching of the longest mat is the main highlights of our annual fest this year and would be staged annually with the inspiration to get the distinction of having woved the world’s longest mat and introduce and promoted buri into the world market,” Ochosa said.

They also want San Juan to be named as “The Buri Capital of the Philippines” Ochosa added.

Hundreds of buri palm trees are abundant in barangays Cacandongan, Darao, Malammin, Caronoan, Camanggaan, Immayos Norte and Barbar. Of the 32 barangays of San Juan, half of it are engaged (particularly women and out of school youth) in the buri indsutry (locally known as silag) as major raw material.

“Buri weaving has been a traditional industry in the town. The Buri fibers are extracted from the petiole, rolled and are weaved into mat, bags, holiday decors and giftware and other novelty items like shoes, slippers, coin purses, pen holders, window blinds, attaché cases, table accessories, wall papers, desk organizers, screen dividers, decorative pillows, lampshades, placemats, folders, “hula’ skirts, other handicraft items as tying, decor and wrapping materials,” Mayor Sarmiento demonstrated.

There’s nothing to be wasted in the Buri weaving industry as it’s midribs are also used in making chairs,” he added.

Bigger, better next year

Sarmiento vowed that the second edition of the Festival will be different because he asked the weaving of a single mat measuring 4 kilometers long with more than a meter width as early as January next year.

The mat this year will be brought to The Heritage Village in Vigan City, Baguio and Manila through trade fairs and exhibitions like the annual “Tawid ken Partuat” exhibit in SM Megamall.

To improve the quality of Buri products as well as to conserve the availability of raw materials, San Juan has allotted an initial fund for the industry amounting to P200, 000.00 this year. Mayor Sarmiento said the amount was used for the acquisition of new technologies in Buri Production and for financing the continuous trainings and seminars for the weavers.

“Actually, we had established a Buri plant nursery in connection with our program on massive plantation of Buri to anticipate the possible scarcity of raw materials in the future due to the increasing demand of Buri products,” Sarmiento said.

Buri (Corypha elata Roxb.), which is known as century plant, is a palm from which three kinds of fibers, namely buri, raffia, and buntal, are obtained. The buri palm has large fan-shaped leaves with stout petioles ranging from two to three meters in length. The palm reaches a height of 20 to 40 meters and its trunk attains a diameter of one to 1.5 meters. # Ace Alegre for NORDIS