In You: I Find Strength- Happy Mother’s Day

    When May arrives, we immediately think about Mom. We know we should honor our mothers every day of the year (because they deserve it!), but there is one special day when we should go all out to show our appreciation. One of the most significant tasks a woman may ever play is motherhood. Mothers have an important part in their children's life, caring for, nurturing, and teaching them, among other things.

    A mother is the first teacher and friend of her children. She bears and feeds her child for nine months in her womb. She has been able to decipher her children's every movement since they were born. She loves her children wholeheartedly and guides them in the proper direction in life. She is responsible for her children and ensures their safety in every manner. Mother's Day is a day when we honor our mothers by expressing our love and thanks. The first person a youngster searches for when he or she gets home is his or her mother. She is responsible for her children from the moment they are born until she passes away. We can't possibly tally all of their contributions to our life or everything they do from daylight to night. Mothers continue to do all of their obligations and responsibilities throughout the day, even when they are weary. They never ask for anything in return for the love and attention they pour on us. However, we may thank our mothers for everything they have done for us.

    A mother's entire universe revolves around her children. It is our responsibility to look after our mothers, to never let them down, to never disrespect them, and to never abandon them when they are being difficult. A mother always stimulates and pushes her children to progress and work harder in life. A mother's happiness is constantly dependent on her children; she can never be happy if her child is unhappy.

    In May 08, 2022 we celebrated a mother’s day even though our mother is in another country. Being separated with a mother is hard, you don’t have a mother to hug when you are down, you don’t have a mother to cheer you up and support you in everything you do, and you don’t have a mother to protect and care for you.  But for me even though my mother is separated with us we are thankful for her because she became our wonderful mother, we are forever thankful to God that he gave us a wonderful and understanding mother in the world. Be thankful to God that he gave you a wonderful mother and love and care for your mother because they are deserved to be love and to be take care of. To all mother in the world whatever you are we are so proud to you all because of your sacrifices and love for us. I salute and respect to all mother’s in the whole word.

References:

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 The Spirit of Binatbatan Festival in Admist of Pandemic 

    Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, is a city that has stood the test of time. It has a classic Hispanic checkerboard street layout. Calle Crisilogo, the major thoroughfare, features structures made of brick and wood with steeply pitched roofs reminiscent of traditional Chinese architecture. Vigan is a very well-preserved and intact example of a European trading town in East and Southeast Asia. Vigan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 because to all of these features. The festival's name comes from the Ilocano term batbatin, which means to separate cotton balls from the seeds of the indigenous fruit kapas sanglay. Binatbatan Festival has its roots in the abel weaving business of Vigan, which existed even before the Spaniards arrived to colonize the Philippines. 

    

   

    The featured Binatbatan street dancing, showdown competition, in which contestants wear "abel" (woven cloth) costumes and sway in their original panagbatbat dances, is the major focus of this week-long celebration. The street dancing started in front of the Vigan Cathedral and finished on Crisologo Street, where old houses were decorated with abel iloco decor in preparation for the house decorating competition. Street dancers gracefully performed with their colorful props and costumes made of abel, boldly saying "Viva Vigan" to a spectacular choreography inspired by the weaving process of abel iloko. We can truly claim that the festival celebration is really pleasurable, interesting to watch, holds attention, and gives the audience pleasure and enjoyment. Today, celebrating this year's celebration is extremely challenging and crucial. With COVID-19 as the evil antagonist, a festival goer's life has taken a tragic turn. All of the great festivals that one might anticipate this year are no longer possible because public gatherings would just exacerbate the virus' spread. Despite the fact that we are in the midst of a pandemic, the city government was able to organize festivities for this festival by going online, allowing Biguenos to settle in and celebrate this important occasion while remaining safe from the illness.

    While the good old days of celebrating the Binatbatan Festival of Festival were far better than today, Biguenos made this a memorable one filled with joy, happiness, and merriment despite the drastic change. The days are colder, the nights are longer, and COVID-19 lockdown restrictions remain, but it is in alert level 1, which means that festivals and other gatherings are permitted. It is vital that we remember the significance of this year's festival celebration, especially if we are unable to commemorate it in the same way as previous years. The celebration symbolizes life's continuation. Its celebration symbolizes the never-ending cycle of life's ups and downs.To put it another way, accepting the reality of our circumstance without holding out hope that things will eventually return to "normal." The spirit of solidarity and resiliency can be felt beneath and beyond the opulence of the festival's costumes and props.