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Batad is located in the Cordillera Administrative Region of the island of Luzon. The village is located in the highland province of Banaue. Located at a distance of 370 km from Manila, the capital of Philippines, Batad is a Barangay within the municipality of Banaue, Ifugao Province.
The distance between Banaue and Batad is 18 km. The distance is inclusive of the 15 km of road travel and 3 km of trekking along a mountain trail to reach the village. The village of Batad is located amidst lush green surroundings and rice terraces.
The rice terraces are located amidst a mountainous region that is composed of rugged terrain, river valleys and forests. Batad is home to indigenous tribes, which are known as the Ifugaos. This community is believed to have descended from the Miao people of south-west China. The aborigines communicate in Ifugao dialects like Tuwali and Ayangan. However, they can also speak Filipino vernacular dialects like Ilokano and Tagalog.
Batad is popular for its rice terraces that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These amphitheatre-like rice terraces seem to crawl up to the mountaintops. These are also known as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World' by the Filipinos. Batad Rice Terraces are stone-walled terraces, unlike the mud-walled Banaue Rice Terraces.
The ancient man-made Batad Rice Terraces are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras. The region lies nestled within the Cordillera Central mountain range in northern Luzon.
Batad Rice Terraces were carved 2,000 years ago by Ifugao tribesmen. Morning and evening times are apt for visiting the terraces. This is because during these times, mists descend into the valleys. This beautiful effect led the Ifugaos to call the rice terraces 'Stairway to Heaven'.
The culture of the Ifugao people is centred around the rice, which is considered a prestige crop. Owing to this belief, the community celebrates varied rice culture feasts and agricultural rites, ranging from rice cultivation to rice consumption. During the harvest season, the community celebrates numerous thanksgiving feasts.
The major ones among these are the concluding harvest rites, 'tungo' and 'tungul'. Both of these rites entail a strict taboo of any agricultural work. During the festivities and ritual activities, the Ifugao people devour rice beer (bayah), rice cakes and betel nut. The male members of the community dress in traditional loin cloth, during the festivities. The people worship a wooden Rice God, who is believed to bring health and prosperity to the family.
The Batad Rice Terraces are irrigated by a system of dams, sluices, channels and bamboo pipes. The system and the terraces depict the technical ingenuity of the Ifugao people. The place is amongst the most preserved man made attractions, owing to its remote location.
Tourists planning a visit to this destination can plan their trip between June and August as the rice cultivated on the rice terraces becomes green.
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