Culture and Literature of Tanulong, SAGADA

Part 1: CHRONOLOGICAL PRACTICES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Every season comes with a set of cultural practices observed and maintained religiously by the people, lead by the elders, primarily to pray for the assistance, help, and blessings of the spirits and the Kabunyan itself for a successful season. This would mean to them free of unnecessary difficulties when it comes to the work they do, protection for their crops and for themselves, robust growth of the crops and bountiful harvest.

A.LAKAT is the beginning of the year!

During the season of sama, the works done in the fields are plowing, tilling, and weeding. It is in this time when lakat is practiced. This is actually the starting of the year in the culture.

This is performed only by the lumakat, a title for specific people who can only do this thing as not everyone can do it. While the elders are on the watch, he or she goes to plant gabi in any place he or she chooses which is usually outside the village but not too far away. From that day on, the lumakat fasts up to three days. Then right the day after that starts the five-day ubaya or a non-work days.

Following that is begnas. wherein at the same day patay is performed.

The villagers continue with the work in the paddy fields, plow and weed it and allowing it to decompose for some time.

B. PANGAT

After sasama comes the time to sow. This is locally called panagpapana. The practice of pangat is done to start this season.

Like lakat, only the pumangat performs this on September 21 of every year. He or she goes to sow rice grains. The success of that is then followed by all other villagers who are ready to sow their grains a day after.

Ubaya of three or five days follow after depending on the elders' judgment.

Patay is performed, followed by three days ubaya. This is immediately followed by another two days ubaya called ubayan di ginedegday. The villagers resume their work for a day or two.

Begnas di yabyab. Patay is also done in the same day of kayew. This makes all in all two times patay performed during this period.

C. WANGE

On the day of December 10 every year, the practice of wange is performed, sacrificing a pig in the spot inside the village named Mabago. The meat is to be distributed equally among the households in the entire village. This opens the planting season. Anyone who is ready to start planting can proceed. Patay di sungba. After this patay is performed, sungba is opened to anyone who chooses to do.

Sungba is the ritual done by sacrificing a chicken at the starting phase of planting season which is done to pray for the healthy and robust growth of the newly planted crops. It is believed that when a farmer has already started planting (rice) he should not go to any function specially that of the funeral because this will bring bad luck to the crops. Because of this, farmers customarily do the sungba ritual the moment the day they start planting, usually in the afternoon. In case any function will take place, they are free to attend without fear of any possible negative repercussion. In short, the sungba ritual is done to protect the crops from any bad luck.

D. INANA

Patay di inana.

Say-at. This is the time when the villagers butcher and offer chicken in their homes for their dead ancestors.

Three days ubaya follows.

Begnas di inana. This begnas is done to clear the murk that has been caused by planting rice in the paddy fields. This time, there is a very big chance of gangsa. On occasions where there is pat-tong, the leading dap-ay will be the host.

E. LEBEK

This is the period when the necessary works in the fields are finally completed. It is the time for the crops to grow and later flower. By this time, the sugar cane is already fully grown, ready to be harvested.

Similar to dap-ays, the villagers are grouped into three lebkan. Each group work together, men and women while their children do some help. They start from cutting down the sugar canes then bringing them to the lebkan site. It is there where it is processed and cooked into an organic sugar called mascuvado or that alcoholic drink called bayas. This would normally last up to a week or so until every member took their turn of having his crops cut, cooked and taken home. All the members help each other until everyone is finished. In this time, ultimate bayanihan is observed among each group. All the women do the cutting of the canes, men and boys do much of the carrying or transporting while some matured men are responsible for cooking. Cooking of the juice into sugar lasts a long time, requiring much of fire wood, which is a very tough job which is why men are best doing it. Some women cook food for the entire work force. Lebek is a big work which requires enormous amount of labor. Everyone gets to taste the maximum heat of the month of March working under the sun but working together seems to make things easier. Everyone feels happy to eat the sweet mascuvado after that. This week-longa activity is ended with another ritual before the group finally go back to their normal lives.At the end of the tough and laborious week, every member of each lebkan is secured with a year-long supply of organic sweetener as well as bayas for the men to drink.

Ubaya for few days.

Begnas di lebek. This begnas is done to close the lebek rendering the village free and clear for any festivities.

F. BA-OY

When the rice crops are beginning to mature and golden, the elders then proceed to the practice of ba-oy which is done to protect the rice crops from varied pests like rats, rice-eating birds and some other known enemies eating the crops.

Any of the people holding the title of buma-oy performs this by bringing the kilaw to the fields and then heads back to his dap-ay.

In the same day, patay is performed at the papatayan.

G.LATAB/ A-ANI

Begnas di latab. This begnas is practiced in the beginning of the harvest season to pray to the gods to make the harvest last year-long until another harvest season comes and that nobody has to experience lack and if possible, to have some excess. This is called pasika which means spiritually making the food supplies last the whole year or even longer. Indirectly, this is done to ask for abundance throughout the year. The patay performed together with this begnas, unlike any other patay, requires two piglets , one is sacrificed in the early morning while another is after the kayew which is later after the kayew. Most often than not, this begnas comes with pat-tong. That means the ubaya will last until the fifth day.

After the begnas, the village is open for senga or wedding for those who have any plan.

H. Aani

Harvest season continues.

I. KESEP

This is the period right after harvest time is completed. At this time, each family does the ritual called a-aw where a chicken is sacrificed praying for abundance and that the new harvest may not be used for any undesirable functions but rather be used for happy occasions. Indirectly, it is a prayer to save the family from any undesirable happenings such as death, sickness and so forth. Occasions like death are much dreaded among the people that they consider such as negative things like most people do. During these occasions, the family will be hosting days of gathering and eating in the house just like weddings. Now, the people would rather feed people for happy occasions than sad occasions. This is what they pray for during a-aw.