YOU can feel the festive
spirit in the air, with hundreds of tourists and Ilonggos flocking to Villa’s
long stretch of beach and sand. The sun shines radiantly, children playing
happily in the shallow waters, coastguards circling the seashore, boatmen
raising their sails the soft breeze making them flutter.
The calm sound of waves is
broken by the sudden boom of signal flares, and like wings propelled by the
wind, one by one the vividly painted Paraws take to the sea, racing across the
Iloilo-Guimaras strait.
Now on its 44th year, the
Iloilo Paraw Regatta Festival continues to be largest sailing celebration in
the country and the oldest traditional craft event in Asia. With the theme
“Maragtas kag Kultura Paagi sa Paraw Regatta,” the festival seeks to highlight
the unparalleled seafaring abilities of Ilonggos, as well as the creative
resourcefulness of local boatmen.
This year marks one of the biggest turn-outs for the
festival, with 58 Paraws joining the sailing race across 3 categories, and
nearly 190 boatmen involved.
Paraw Regatta is known for its vibrant layags or sails soaring as high as 15 feet, often colourfully painted with images of rural sea life and depicting the culture and spirit of Iloilo City.
Paraws had to race a course of more than 30 kilometers, traversing the coasts of Iloilo and Guimaras before returning back to the finish line in Villa beach, the journey taking more or less an hour and a half to finish.
First established in 1972,
the Iloilo Paraw Regatta Festival, has grown from just a hald-day sail racing
event. The festivities now include the annual Miss Paraw Regatta pageant, a
Pinta Tawo contest, a National Jet Ski Competition, as well as Beach Volleyball
and Ultimate Frisbee tournaments.
