Amlan’s folkways are more than customs—they are the beating heart of its culture, connecting generations through shared wisdom and rituals. Tourism Amlan continues to document and promote these living traditions as part of its commitment to cultural preservation and meaningful visitor engagement.
Embedded Files
Courtship and Marriage
Courtship and Marriage
Courtship in traditional Amlan communities was guided by parents, with arranged marriages common. The Tinoyo System required the groom to serve the bride’s family—doing chores or farm work—as a form of commitment. In some sitios like Benlang, marriages were arranged without the girl's knowledge.
Unique marriage customs included:
Dowries of livestock, food, money, and a terno (gown) for the bride.
Avoiding weddings in August or February, which were considered unlucky.
Combing the newlyweds’ hair together seven times for harmony.
Drinking water with flower petals and coins for prosperity.
Spending alternating nights in each other's homes after the wedding.
Rituals like planting banana trees together, breaking plates, or throwing rice for good luck.
Wedding feasts were grand, and sometimes led to debts—humorously captured in folk songs that lament weddings paid through loans.
Ani-a si Mantang Mantang,
Naminyo sa pulos inutang,
Naghilak sa paglamano,
Salapi pules binaylo.
In some families, when the youngest daughter married before her older sisters, it caused secret apprehension among them. Another folk song reflects this:
Ang Tolo Ka Dalaga
Sa lungsod sa Buenavista
May tolo ka mga dalaga
Naminyo ang kamanghuran
Naghilak ang kangulangan
Ning tubag ang tunga-tunga
Ay Manang, ayaw pag-saba
Dili ma-abtan ug bulan
Maminyo kita nga tanan.
Death, Mourning, and Burial
Death, Mourning, and Burial
Death was met with a mix of sorrow and spiritual caution. Panabang prayers were offered for the dying, and candles or lamps were lit to guide their spirits. To guard against witches or sigbin, light was placed under the bed.
Mourning customs lasted nine days for adults and three for children, culminating in the Katapusan, a day of prayer and feasting. In some sitios, funeral rites included wild dancing and spirit-repelling ceremonies.
In Toybo and Cang-asio, deaths were often attributed to spirits from balete or dalaket trees. Offerings were made to appease these beings.
Birth and Baptism
Birth and Baptism
Several beliefs surrounded pregnancy and childbirth:
A pregnant woman’s cravings had to be satisfied. If she was denied a food or object she desired, it was believed that she might miscarry.
Some parents prepared clothes for the baby in advance, while others avoided doing so, fearing it would lead to stillbirth.
Objects like a pestle and bolo were placed near the mother during childbirth to symbolize strength, while a pig’s tail was kept nearby to ensure the baby would be active and healthy.
Babies were baptized within four months to prevent them from dying unbaptized, as it was believed that unbaptized souls ended up in limbo—neither heaven nor hell. The ina-on (godmother) took the child to church, and a name was often chosen from the almanaque. However, modern parents sometimes preferred Western names like Johnny, Elizabeth, Fred, and Shirley.
Baptism celebrations were simple or lavish, depending on the family’s means. Festivities often included gambling, such as hantak and tigbakay, as part of the communal gathering.
Community Traditions and Festivities
Community Traditions and Festivities
Hospitality was central to Amlanganon identity—visitors were welcomed with food, drink, and tobacco. Children once showed respect by kissing elders’ hands. Cooperative work systems like bulhon helped neighbors build homes or harvest crops.
Before clearing land for farming, pig sacrifices were made to appease nature spirits. All Saints’ Day was celebrated with family feasts and pig slaughtering. Barrio fiestas honored patron saints with food, games, and merrymaking after successful harvests.
Some traditional punishments for disobedient children included kneeling on mongo seeds or holding weights with outstretched arms.
Beliefs, Superstitions, and the Spirit World
Beliefs, Superstitions, and the Spirit World
Amlanganons lived in constant dialogue with the unseen world. Spirits were believed to inhabit trees, rivers, mounds (punso), and even shadows. Cutting down a dalaket tree without a ritual could result in sickness; healing involved quack doctors offering food (dolot) at the site.
Popular beliefs included:
Eclipses were caused by the bacunawa, a dragon trying to eat the moon.
Earthquakes occurred when Enok’s pig rubbed against the earth.
Thunder and lightning were born from taboo relationships.
Comets signaled disasters; blood-red skies meant impending calamity.
Animals carried omens: a black snake meant death; a barking dog on New Year’s Eve predicted illness; a hen’s “kakak” noise at night meant witches were near.
Plants like labigan repelled witches, while garlic was chewed to defeat opponents or ward off spirits. Lopit was placed in homes to kill bedbugs.
Birds and insects were also messengers:
Kokok birds signaled death.
Bahaw birds predicted rain.
Amamispis’ sorrowful songs meant loss.
If a rooster crowed alone, it would win its next fight.
Lost items could be found through the inao ritual, using a winnowing basket and scissors to name the thief.
Arts, Leisure, and Folk Expressions
Arts, Leisure, and Folk Expressions
People sang balitaw, pandango, and tirana, played traditional games like sipa, and gambled during festivities. Riddles (pangagpas) and storytelling were popular nighttime pastimes. Amusements included fishing, hunting, and participating in Consus or Sinulog rituals.
Google Sites
Report abuse