Celebrating the 243rd Founding Anniversary of our island province of Batanes. Experience the Ivatan culture of sharing, rich heritage, and traditions of us, the Ivatan people.
Celebrating Unity, Heritage, and Community
The Vunung Festival is the official celebration of Batanes Foundation Day, rooted in the Ivatan tradition of payvunungan—the communal sharing of food wrapped in the iconic kabaya leaf. More than a feast, it is a living symbol of kinship, resilience, and harmony with nature.
Batanes Day was first envisioned as a moment to recognize our shared identity, aspirations, and destiny as one province. In Ivatan culture, unity is expressed through food. Every gathering—whether in households (asa-ka-vahay), kindred groups (kalipusan), or entire communities (kavahayan)—is strengthened by the act of eating together.
The Vunung Festival embodies this indigenous form of community-making. It honors the Austronesian archetype of kinship through commensality, while showcasing the cultural richness and progressive relevance of vunung in Ivatan life.
Vunung is the Ivatan practice of wrapping food in kabaya leaves, a tradition that reflects both cultural artistry and environmental consciousness. It is present in every milestone of life—from birth to death, fiestas to reunions, thanksgiving to foundation day.
Where there is payvunungan, there is celebration. And where there is celebration, there is recognition of hard work, achievement, and community spirit.
Here are some snaps in the last year’s Batanes Foundation Day Celebration
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