By US News Agency / Asian

The week-long celebration here of the UNESCO World Heritage Cities Solidarity Day and cultural festival reels off Wednesday until September 12.

Mayor Eva Marie Singson Medina, who leads the celebration, said September 8 was the day in 1993 when the Organization of World Heritage Cities was formed by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Fez, Morocco.

The group is an umbrella organization of all heritage towns and cities. Vigan is a member of the organization being one of the Philippines’ UNESCO world heritage sites.

The mayor said the week-long festivities aim to continuously strengthen Vigan’s history and culture “in keeping with the long-term goal of preserving our centuries “old heritage structures”.

Vigan’s well-preserved Spanish trading town environ has survived the test of time, including bombings during World War II which leveled the major Philippine cities of Baguio, Cebu and Manila.

Highlighting the activities of this year’s week-long solidarity festival here include a mass at the historic St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral, the renewal of the pledge of heritage conservation, opening of the trade fair and painting exhibition,” historia oral” and “fotografias y recuerdos”.

There will also be “zarsuela ilocana”, folk dance competition, vocal solo vocal duet, vocal chorus competitions, poem competition, “dallot” contest “Repazzo de Vigan” and Solidarity parade, dancesports, “sabayan pagbigkas” contest, “kinnanataran” contest and cultural shows.

Spicing up the celebration is a seminar on hair rebonding, fantasy make-up and fil-hair competition.

Most of the cultural events and contests will be held in the historic Plaza Burgos and the Vigan Culture and Trade Center (VCTC)

Officials said the “Repazzo de Vigan” is a parade participated in by all 39 barangays, specially students and members of non-governmental organizations, where the participants will dramatize the Biguenos’ way of life from Spanish time up to World War II while they walk through designated parade route, accompanied by music.

Meanwhile, the “Historia Oral” is a wonderful opportunity for listeners to learn about Vigan’s history, culture and day-to-day life straight from the mouths of the old, ordinary Vigan folks.

Members of the senior citizens’ federation are tapped to share their experience, knowledge and love of their city through story-telling.

Grade-school student listeners from Vigan join the historical-literary contest that is held in connection with the “Historia Oral”.

Visitors are also encouraged to watch out for the Fotografias de Recuerdos where rare photographs and paintings are exhibited at Vigan’s Culture and Trade Center.