Multi-Cultural Diversity

Submitted To: Prof. JuneJay Irvin Pula

Submitted By: Angelu R. Ladignon
Ken V. Balajadia
( Hospitality Management 2-F )

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The ILOCOS REGION AND THE ILOCANOS

About 1,453,000 hardworking estimated Ilocanos live in the provinces of Abra, Ilocos Norte,
Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and LaUnion in the Northwestern Coast of Luzon of its 11,447.5
sq.km.area. Only a narrow strip narrow of plain is fertile and arable, with rice as its chief crop.
Due to this limited area for agriculture, foodstuffs and are often insufficient. The physical
environment if Ilocanos has effected the Ilocano way of life. Ilocanos are thrifty and used to
difficulties and hardships. They work hard to earn a living; thus to an Ilocano every centavo
counts. A long province makes agriculture in the area not profitable. As a result, the Ilocano
families engage in other occupations. Men as well as women, spin, and dye yarns. Women with
their native crude hand looms weave blankets, towels, napkins, table cloths, bags, and jackets.
Aside from weaving, bagoong, and tuba making are two other industries of the Ilocanos. The
Ilocanos are adventurous and the most hardworking people. They migrate to other provinces like
Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija and Cagayan during harvest time, to find work. After they harvest they
go back home with their earnings. Others go to faraway like Cotabato, Davao, Bukidnon and other
parts of Mindanao as settlers. Many Ilocanos are also working in Okinawa, Guam, Hawaii and
Saudi Arabia, easily adapting themselves wherever they go.

THE ILOCANOS CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

Ilocanos strive hard to make a living, difficulty is never a hindrance to their success. To and
Ilocano, hardships can easily be overcome. They believe in the value of study, industry and
patience; thus, every Ilocano family encourages the children to go to school and learn skills to
find better paying jobs and consequently, have better life. Most customs and traditions of the
Ilocanos are influence by their frugality. From the cradle to the grave, the Ilocano rituals reflect
what they believe in. Death to the Ilocanos means great sorrow. If the father die, the wife dresses
the deceased alone so that her husband’s spirit can tell her any messages or wish he was not able
to convey when he was still alive. The body is placed in a coffin in the middle of the house parallel
to the slats of the floor. A big log is then lighted in front of the houses so that the spirit of the
dead will go to the heaven with the smoke. As long as the dead body is in the houses, the log is
kept burning to keep the evil spirit away. During the wake, the members of the family keep vigil.
The woman wears black clothes and the black manto (handkerchief) to cover the head and the
shoulders. Before the coffin is carried out of the house all windows must be closed; no part of
the house must be touched by the coffin; otherwise the man’s spirit will stay behind and bring
trouble to the family. Family members shampoo their hair with gogo as soon as the funeral is
over to wash away the power of the dead man’s spirit. Prayers are said every night for the next
nine nights. After each night’s prayer, rice cakes and basi are served to all guest. The period of
mourning ends on the ninth dat when relatives and friends spend the day feasting and praying.
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The fresh death anniversary will then be another occasion for feasting and praying. The above
customs and traditions are purely Catholic rituals and practices. It does not include the belief of
some religion in the places.

ABOUT THE ART

The serious outlook of the Ilocano is reflected on their physical movement as well as in their
writings. They are not lyrics types; they are the epic type. An Ilocano epic depicting this sobriety
is Biag ni Lam-ang, a poetry piece trhat requires sustained effort. Among the well known Ilocano
writers are Salvador Lopez, Leopoldo Yabes, Manuel Arguilla, and Consorcio Borje. The ancient
literature of the Ilocano consisted of the song for different occasions. The Ilocano war song
expressed the vigor and joys of the warriors coming from battle; the dal-ot, popular among the
peasant was sung during a baptismal party, a wedding or a feast; the badeng or love song is a
serenade. Pamulinawen, a popular Ilocano love song expresses longing for a loved one. Like most
Filipinos, the Ilocanos posses musical instrumental. Examples are the flute, kudyapi and kutibeng,
which is a sort of guitar with fine strings The Ilocano are proud of their dances. One of their
favorites is the kinnotan, or ants dance, in which a group of dances gesticulates toward a person
being attacked by ants and then makes motions of scratching the man. The Kinnailongong is
another Ilocano dance showing a man and a woman sings and dances towards him; and then
dances with him.

ILOCOS NORTE & ILOCOS SUR: CULTURES AND TRADITIONS

Bain is the Ilocano trait for hiya or amor propio (sense of shame). Ilocanos fear of gossip and
would strongly avoid being envied by others. It is essential to show panagdayaw (respect for the
sensitivities of others). Ilocanos tend to speak about themselves in the humblest of terms. The
Ilocanos are hardworking, determined, simple and as well appreciative, but they are also known
for being stingy, “kuripot” in their tongue. Yet, for them called this is just a joke among all
Filipinos, not as a negative description of their kind. It is their characterictics that our nationality
have grown to understand. Being thrifty, they value money so much that the most people see
them as stingy, but in the truth they are just thrifty, they want to spend what they earned wisely.

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ILOCANO FOLK BELIEFS
The Ilocano has an elaborate network of beliefs and practices through which he deals with the
world around him. These beliefs and practices developed and nurtured by his ancestors, guide
him in going through the different stages of life. It is possible, however, that many of these beliefs
and practice are gaining less importance among Ilocanos of today.

Wedding Traditions

Panagasawa or marriage to the Ilocano is but

a reaffirmation of the man and
woman's gasat (fate). It is considered a sacred
partnership which lasts until the death of
either partner.The groom makes a
panagpudno (formal announcement) to the
soon-to-be bride’s parents about his intention
of marrying their daughter. His parents will
then visit the bride’s parents to set the
wedding date. Usually, parents consult a
planetario, which is like an almanac that
identifies “lucky” days. Another highlight of the feast is the bitor wherein guests contribute cash
to the newlyweds either by dropping money onto the plates or by pinning bills to the couple’s
clothes.

Death Traditions

To the Ilocanos, gasat (fate) detemines their

life on earth. Death to them means the
fulfillment of destiny, the inevitable. It is
because of this Ilocano view of death that they
are better able to bear the passing away of
their loved ones with courage and fortitude.
The Ilocanos have traditionally believed that
most of man's illnesses are caused by spirits.
Even accidents have often been attributed to the supernatural, to spirits that could either be
the aswang (witch) or the mannamay (sorcerer). Death is often preceded by omens such as a
black butterfly which enters a house at night or during an eclipse. When a person is dying, an old

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woman is usually called in to pray and attend to him. Sometimes, a coconut shell is placed under
the dying man's bed so that everyone in the room may hear the angel and the devil fighting for
possession of the man's soul. When a man dies, an atong (burning piece of wood) is placed in
front of the gate of his house. This announces a death in the family to spirits and the living alike.
The fire is left burning for the duration of the wake. If relatives are being awaited, the corpse is
embalmed for an extended wake. Members of the household are expected to refrain from
working for the duration of the wake. Those keeping vigil recount all the good deeds of the
deceased before the group. In some towns, the family hires the services of a mandung-aw, who
provides the wailing and lamenting during the wake. Family members also do this to express their
grief anguish, and pain. The presence of young men and women at the vigil prevents the spirits
of the preternatural world from stealing the corpse. Chores that are tabooed during the wake
include cleaning or sweeping the house. It is believed that another member of the bereaved
family will follow soon if this belief is not observed. Taking a bath or rubbing the skin
with isiso (stone) will cause scabbies. Taking a bath in the house where the dead lies in state is
prohibited. Meeting and seeing visitors to the door and accompanying them to the door when
leaving are taboo. With the belief that there is life after death, the clothes and other
paraphernalia are buried with the dead. This is also done so that the soul will not come back for
his precious possessions. However, if something is forgotten and someone in the neighborhood
dies, a relative will place the remaining precious belonging of their deceased to the dead relative.
Before the funeral, relatives pay respect by kissing the deceased’s hands or raising it to his/her
forehead (mano). Those who attended the burial in
the cemetery must return to the deceased’s home by
taking a different route form the one they’ve taken to
get there. Upon arrival, they must wash their faces and
hands. It is said to remove the power of death. To
show extreme grief of the bereaved family, the
members wear black clothes and a manto (black veil)
which is worn by the female members of the family.
Solemn music is played during the funeral procession
from the house of the dead to the church and then to the cemetery.

Pregnancy and Childbirth

A woman's intense craving for sour fruits, such as tamarind, green mango or orange is usually
interpreted as a sign of pregnancy. The fruits that she eats provide clues to the child's
appearance. The pregnant woman observes a number of practices believed to insure against a
painful and difficult delivery. She sits on a mat and never on the bare floor, to avoid having gas
pains. She always has grains of salt with her whenever she leaves the house to ward off evil

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spirits who may take away her unborn child. She does not go outside the house at night with her
hair down lest she have a snake delivered along with her baby. She is forbidden to sit on the
stairway as this is a position associated with difficult delivery. When cooking, she must thrust
the bigger pieces of firewood into the fire before the smaller pieces, a practice said to ensure a
normal delivery. On the sixth month of pregnancy, the mother's dreams, her physical and
emotional state, the food she eats, and the fetal position are taken as indications of the child's
sex. Only a select few are allowed inside the house while the woman is in labor. These are
the mangilot (midwife), the husband, his parents and the couple's other children, if any. This is
because of the belief that the presence of unlucky people could cause a difficult delivery. Walking
the woman around the house to empty her water bag during labor is supposed to ease childbirth.
When a woman is undergoing extreme difficulty, the husband either turns the house ladder
upside down or massages crushed ginger on his
wife's belly. A conceiving woman should not
take her fancy on pictures, dolls and flowers so
that the child will not become dumb or on
images of saints because the child will not be
able to stand but will only be rolling on the bed
or floor. If a conceiving woman takes fancy on
a pitcher-type water pump, her child will be
hare-lipped, and if she eats twin bananas, she
will give birth to twins. If she is fond on reading
music books, her child is likely to become a
musician. Likewise, the newborn is likely to become an accountant or a businessman if the
conceiving woman has a liking for books on mathematics. A woman expecting a baby should not
lie across the width of the bed or by the doorway because she may have difficulty in delivery. She
should not take a bath in the evening because she may bloat. She should not eat the liver or
head of chicken lest the child will become stubborn. As soon as the baby is born, he is wrapped
with the clothes of either parent. The child is said to become closer to the parent whose clothes
he was wrapped with. The newborn child is also made to use old clothes so that when he grows
he will not be fond of wearing new clothes which depicts extravagance. The use of a folded
newspaper as a pillow for the newborn is supposed to make him intelligent. The washing of
clothes and the mat used during delivery is done only during the day with proper ceremony. The
clothes must not be washed in the shallow part of the river where the current is swift and noisy
for this would make the child naughty and irritable. After the delivery, the anglem is made. This
consists of burning twisted rugs placed in an earthen jar called bak-ka to drive away evil spirits
and to make the navel of the baby heal faster. The neonate is given ampalaya juice mixed with
castor oil to expel impurities taken in while it was still in the mother's womb. The woman who
has just delivered should not eat food that is spicy or that causes itch such as eggplant, bamboo
shoots, and camote within the period of five to six months, gabi or aba, and peanuts up to one

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year. Likewise, she should not eat papaya because this makes the child agaras (suffer from
thrush). The mother and child are made to rest in a specially inclined bed
called balitang (bamboo bed). During the mother's fifteen to twenty-day rest also called
the dalagan, the husband manages the household. The woman resumes her housework only
after she has rested and taken a full bath. Ilocano mothers go through a process of inhaling smoke
from medicinal incense while a bowl of hot coals warms her wounds. Called sidor, this is said to
relieve the mother’s pains and reposition the displaced uterus.

Infancy
If the kajyanak (newborn) has physical defects, he is given a hair washing rite presided over by a
folk healer. If the defect is not healed, the family accepts the baby's condition and views it as a
sign of good luck. The child's sleeping position is the subject of his parents' special attention
because of certain meanings associated with each particular position. It is said that if the baby
sleeps float on his belly on the floor or bed, bad luck or hardship will befall the family. If the baby
gnashes his teeth, he is said to have parasites in his body. When the baby begins to turn around
and roll, the parents are advised not to help him, for it is believed that if they do, the baby will
be too dependent on them when he grows up. It is usually at the end of the fourteenth month
when the baby is considered strong enough and allowed to walk by himself.

Adolescence
Pubescence for the girl comes at age eleven when most girls begin to menstruate. Some of the
taboos which girls observe during menstruation include: eating sour fruit which may cause blood
clotting and menstrual cramps; taking a bath or carrying heavy objects which may
cause matipdan (sudden stop of menstrual flow) which may lead to insanity or death. Girl at this
stage are also asked to sit on the 3rd step of the stairs so that she will have only three days of
menstruation. Boys aged thirteen to twenty-one voluntarily submit themselves to kugit
(circumcision) by the local specialist. The rite usually takes place near a river, a creek or a stream.
The materials used are a sharp knife or blade, a wooden mold made from a stripped guava
branch, guava brew and coconut palm scrapings. Like the pubescent girl, the circumcised boy
discards his childish games and pranks for more adult pursuits.

Courtship

Courtship begins with a series of casual conversations and visits to the girl's home where the boy
gets to know the girl and her family. Long courtships are expected to give both parties a chance

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to be sure about their own feelings for each other. The boy sends love letters to the girl regularly
as constant reminders and declarations of a willingness to continue the amorous
pursuit. The harana (serenade) is also one way of
expressing love. The boy asks a group of friends to join
him, on a moonlit night, in waking up his beloved
maiden with love songs. The relationship, once
formalized, is carried out with utmost discretion. The
girl is expected to remain modest and
chaste. Tradition strongly requires that the woman
maintain her virginity until marriage. Otherwise, she
will have to face such grave consequences as being
ostracized by the community or disowned by her
family.

FOODS

The native Ilocano is a weaver, wood carver and pottery expert. The Ilocano cuisine ranges from
the exotic ‘’ abu-os’’ ( ant eggs ) to vegetables broth ‘’ dinengdeng’’ the sticky ‘’ tinubong’’ to the
‘’poqui-poqui’’ ( eggplant salad ).

Ant eggs Dinengdeng Poqui-poqui

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PANGASINAN & LA UNION: CULTURES AND TRADITION

The term Pangasinan means ‘’ Land of salt ‘’ or ‘’ Place where salt is made ‘’ from the root word
asin meaning salt in the native language, and the prefix pang and the suffix an meaning place.
Pangasinenses also engage in trade, investing in expensive shawls, blankets, white and blue cloth,
needles, scissors, and mirrors from China as well as other products which they bring to nearby
Northern provinces. The ubiquitous cattle-drawn wagons that travel across northern Luzon and
Manila are from Pangasinan.

The Pangasinenses are also noted for their industry and their enterprise. Buri hat making, mat
weaving, wooden shoe manufacture, brick and pottery making and metalcraft are among the
traditional industries that continue to thrive in Pangasinan. Pangasinan Lingayen was once the
primary center of commerce in the province and had a thriving Chinese community to direct its
trade. Industries such as bakeshops, soap and candle-making and the manufacture of shoes and
slippers are centered in the town.

DANCES OF PANGASINAN

Binasuan ( beeh-nah-SOOH -ahn ) This colorful and lively dance from Bayambang in the
Pangasinan province shows off the balancing skills of the dancers. The glasses that the dancers
gracefully, yet carefully maneuver are half-filled with rice wine. Binasuan means ‘’with the use of
drinking glass’’ in Pangasinan is often performed as entertainment in weddings, birthdays, and
fiestas.

Binoyugan ( beeh-noh-YOOH-gahn ) A dance originally from Ilokano region of Pangasinan.

Binoyugan features women balancing on their heads a banga or clay pot which they use to fetch
water from the river or well, or in which to cook rice. The dance culminates with the women
laying stomach down on stage, and rolling from side to side, all white balancing the pot.

Oisiwas ( wah-SEE-wahs ) After a good catch, fishermen of Lingayen would celebrate by drinking
wine and by dancing, swinging and circling a lighted lamp. The name ‘’oisiwas’’ in the Pangasinan
dialect means ‘’swinging’’ This unique and colorful dance calls for skills in balancing an oil lamp
on the head while circling in each hand a lighted lamp wrapped in a porous cloth or fishnet.

Sayaw ed Tapew na Bangko A dance native to the province of Pangasinan (especially in Lingayen)
and demands skill from its performers who must dance on top of a bench roughly six inches wide.

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 BINASUAN BINAYUGAN

OISIWAS SAYAW SA BANGKO

Pangasinan: Folks and Beliefs

The native people of Pangasinan practiced pagan animism, as did many indigenous Filipinos.
Spanish conquerors brought the Roman Catholic faith to the Philippines in the late 16th century.
The province remains predominantly Roman Catholic and incorporates a strong oral tradition in
its religious practices.

Pangasinan is a province on the island of Luzon in the Republic of the Philippines. The province's
name means "a land where salt is made" and comes from the province's long history of salt
production. The native people of Pangasinan practiced pagan animism, as did many indigenous
Filipinos. Spanish conquerors brought the Roman Catholic faith to the Philippines in the late 16th
century. The Dominican missionaries succeeded in converting a majority of Pangasinans. The
province remains predominantly Roman Catholic and incorporates a strong oral tradition in its
religious practices. Pangasinans also show a particular devotion to Our Lady of Manaoag.

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