Ilocos Region Essay

The Ilocos region or Region I (Ilokano: Rehion ti Ilocos, or Deppaar ti Ilocos ; Pangasinan: Rihiyon na Sagor na Baybay na Luzon (Region at the Northwest Coast of Luzon)) is a Region of the Philippines and is located in the northwest of Luzon. It borders to the east the regions of the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley and to the south the region of Central Luzon. To the northwest is the West Philippine Sea. The region is composed of four provinces, namely: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan. Its regional center is San Fernando City, La Union. Ilocano speakers compose 66% of the region, and Pangasinan speakers are 27%, and the Tagalogs compose 3% †¢ Culture of Ilocos Ilocandia has a rich culture reminiscent of colonial times. Vigan, the colonial metropolis and considered as the â€Å"Intramuros of the North†, still retains the Castillan colonial architecture of the times. Lined along its narrow and cobble-stoned streets are old Spanish-type houses (commonly called Vigan house), most of which have been left abandoned. These stately homes have huge, high-pitched roofs, large and rectangular living rooms with life-sized mirrors, old, wooden furniture and ornate Vienna sets. The churches of the Ilocos Region are the enduring symbol of the triumphant transformation of the Ilocano from being practitioners of indigenous religions to practitioners of theistic Christianity. Some of its most impressive churches are: the Vigan Cathedral in Ilocos Sur with its massive hand-carved images of the via crucis; that of Magsingal (also in Ilocos Sur) with its centuries-old wooden altar; the St. Augustine Church in Paoay (Ilocos Norte) which takes the form of a baroque-type built with massive buttresses; and Sta. Maria Church (Ilocos Sur), nestled atop a hill with a stone stairway of 80 steps, are both listed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Dances were mainly a reflection of the gracious ways of the Ilocano. The dinaklisan (a dance common to fisher folks), the agabel (a weaver’s dance) and the agdamdamili (a pot dance) illustrate in simple steps the ways of the industrious Ilocano. Other popular dances among the Ilocanos are Tadek, Habanera, Comintan, Saimita, Kinotan, Kinnalogong.