Lye VAnneth C. Afangka February 6, 2021

EM1-A

Research the following regarding to your own culture:

Fiesta & Festivals:

"Lang-ay" which means sharing among the people was developed as a festival
in 2005 to promote the province as an eco-tourism destination. The festival also
coincides with the foundation anniversary of the province every first week of
April. Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan reminded everyone that
more than creating fun memories and strong cultural identities, the Lang-ay Festival
should also be “an avenue through which we can further device ways to improve as
people.” Aside from the unique cultural experience, the Lang-ay Festival also offered
an avenue for the people of Mountain Province to benefit from government projects
which include training, scholarship, and livelihood programs of the Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority. Through colorful woven clothes, lively
dances, distinctive chants, and energetic beating of the gongs in the cultural
competitions, participants and guests witnessed the sharing of culture and The Lang-
ay Agro-Trade Fair became a venue for sharing of resources, crops, and products not
only from local organizations in the province but from the neighboring provinces  as
well. From dances, to products, and food. The Lang-ay Festival featuretradition
among the different municipalities and tribes of Mountain Province. d food fests
where everyone can partake of local food for free. The Lang-ay by the Street is a food
fair where everyone can get a taste of local delicacies for free while the Lang-ay by
the Eyeb is a free community lunch sponsored by the provincial government.

Bontoc, Mountain Province – This capital town is all set to celebrate its 111th
Founding Anniversary and 15th Am-among Festival this September. The town’s twin
celebration has become a very significant and well –attended occasion for the 16
barangays of the municipality as well as to tourist, and those who live and work in
different places but traces their roots in Bontoc. “The Bontoc community is more than
the place, more than the town; it is the people and all that which makes us Ifontok,”
Odsey emphasized.

Rites & Rituals:

The Bontoc are located in the steep gorge country of the upper Chico River
system in Central Mountain Province of northern Luzon, the Philippines. The Bontoc
economy involves agriculture, hunting, fishing, the domestication of animals,
industrial arts, and trade. Fields are irrigated by carrying water in pots, diverting
streams, or by constructing dams and wooden troughs. All people involved in the use
of the water participate in the construction of the irrigation systems. Dogs are used to
hunt the wild buffalo that are important for marriage feasts. Pigs are trapped in pits.
Pig raising is also an important part of the culture. Cocks, cats, and birds are snared.
Fishing is done by diverting streams and driving the fish into nets or traps. The
Bontoc have domesticated water buffalo, pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats. They are also
familiar with metal working; they use double-piston bellows and charcoal to forge
spear blades. Each village specializes in a particular craft, and there is thus trade
between the villages for spear blades, pipes, baskets, hats, beeswax, pottery, salt,
fermented sugarcane juice, and breech cloths. Handfuls of rice are used to pay for
imported cotton cloth, brass wire, clothing, blankets, and axes. The Bontoc culture is
noted for village wards ( ato  ). Each village has between six and eighteen ato, each of
which contains between fourteen and fifty houses. The ritual center of the ato consists
of a stone platform that was the original site of headhunting ceremonies, an unmarried
girls' dormitory, and an unmarried men's dormitory that also serves as a club house
and council house. Each ato is governed by a council of elders.
In the traditional religion, which remains strong, spirits of the dead are of extreme
importance. The anito inhabit a spirit world located in the mountains and it is just like
the world in which the Bontoc live. Spirits are consulted on all important matters, and
answers are given through bird calls. Lumawig is the supreme being, the creator, the
personification of all forces of nature. The patay are hereditary clans of priests who
conduct ceremonies to honor Lumawig. Healing ceremonies can be performed by the
patay or by old people. The healing ceremonies do not include singing or dancing, and
the priests do not enter a trance. Minor rituals may be performed by the head of the
household.

Discuss its benefits:

Bontoc was a large collection of tribal palm huts along the Chico River
between the Ifugao and Kalinga regions. The Bontoc tribes-people were traditional
animists who had resisted conversion under the Spanish, but American missionaries
were starting to bring their belief systems into the region. The Bontocs also believe
that springs of water have their gods who act as their guardians. These places
are considered sacred because these bodies of water give life to people; hence, people
should never make any monkey business with the water in these springs or make them
dirty. People engage in rituals with the intention of achieving a wide set of desired
outcomes, from reducing their anxiety to boosting their confidence, alleviating their
grief to performing well in a competition or even making it rain. Recent research
suggests that rituals may be more rational than they appear. Rituals provide a sense of
connection. Rituals and traditions help children feel connected to their families and to
their past. They provide a kind of stability when there is more chaos than usual.
Children can feel proud that they know and understand the stories behind
the rituals and traditions. The function of ritual in the community is that of providing
the proper rules for action in the realm of the sacred as well as supplying a bridge for
passing into the realm of the profane. Rituals give us comfort and a sense of control
when life gets challenging. They support our need for structure and balance. When we
embark on a new exercise regime we often begin to feel a greater sense of well being
and safety knowing that we are doing the best we can for our health. Rituals, which
are a series of actions performed in a specific way, have been part of human existence
for thousands of years. They are not habits. While it's not clear exactly how they
help, rituals reduce anxiety, improve performance and confidence, and even work on
people who don't believe in them, research shows.