It’s Sigay Festival in Binmaley!
The whole town of BInmaley and its visitors are preparing to catch the excitement of its first-ever Sigay Festival which will be held from January 26 to February 2.
“The Sigay Festival is the beginning of a legacy for the town of Binmaley. More than a celebration, this fiesta marks the unity of the people in the spirit of fun, creativity, and patriotism,” said Binmaley Mayor Lorenzo M. Cerezo.
A wide range of activities will be held in this weeklong celebration which also commemorates the 421st founding anniversary of the town of Binmaley. A fluvial parade will kick off the fiesta on Jan 26, followed by a boat race entitled Banca Carera.
Other activities include a grand seafood cookfest, the coronation night of Bb. Binmaley, a colorful parade of street dances, and nightly parties for the different sectors of society.
One of the unique events for the Sigay Festival is the Ms. Binmaley International Dinner and Charity Ball, which aims to give tribute to Binmaleyan OFWs and raise funds for the construction and modernization of the Binmaley Public Library and the Binmaley Triangle.
“Even after the fiesta has concluded, its fruits will continue on to the next generation through the construction and development of the Binmaley Public Library and the Binmaley Triangle. This educational and tourism facilities are open for public access and it can help build a legacy of excellence especially among the youth,” said Sigay Festival Executive Chairperson Marissa Bangsal Cerezo.
For the town of Binmaley, Sigay Festival 2011 will serve as the launching pad for what its leaders envision — establishing the town as the rightful Seafood Capital of the North.
The word sigay, in the Pangasinan language, broadly translates to harvest, or a time to gather the rich yields of the farm, the sea, the ponds and the rivers. It relates to a contraction of the words silew meaning light and gayaga meaning merriment.
In Ilocano, which is also widely spoken in Pangasinan, sigay means fish net and all its uses in the fishing industry, and its verb form, agsigay, means harvesting fish.
Sigay as the identifying mark of Binmaley’s first festival captures the totality of all these interpretations. The festival encompasses all the harvests from all sectors of the town’s fountain of life, reflects the light and merriment, and refers to the town’s dominant economic activity which is fishery.
Among all towns in Northern Philippines, Binmaley will expectedly be unrivaled in its claim to be home of “SIGAY” Festival.
More than half of its land area, and its residents depend on raising and selling fishes, prawns, shrimps, mussels, crabs and other marine products from the Agno River Delta, its marshland converted into fishponds, its crisscrossing waterways plus the Lingayen Gulf for livelihood.
Families have been sustained and fortunes made in the town’s fishing and aquaculture industry.
By launching and sustaining the Sigay Festival, Binmaley is celebrating its blessings and embarks on building on its strengths and in pursuit of a common dream.
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