Manobo Wedding Rituals

     Wedding is a very sacred ceremony for two people. This is the ceremony where they are united in marriage. Most wedding ceremonies, the groom and the bride exchange their wedding vows. They also give a symbol of their marriage, it is sometimes rings, money and etc.

     In Manobo Tribe, Marriage is said to be traditionally imposed by parental arrangement. The asking of marriage (ginsa) to the girl begins when the two familes chose their datu (bai). The girl's representative then offers areca nut (betel chew) to the boy's representative, but they said that the boy's representative still politely refuses it until the negotiations for the bride wealth (kagun) begins. In this kagun, the groom's relatives, most especially to the datu who is related to the groom's family will contribute.

     The Wedding date is determined in the length of time when will the groom's family will raise the kagun. While waiting, the bride's relatives have to prepare the rice, meat, fish, and rice wine that will be used in the wedding feast (apa).

     On the day of the wedding, the groom is wearing a white handkerchief, he and his relatives will walk to the bride's house. The bride is kept hidden behind a curtain in another room with someone guarding her. The groom's party knocked at the doorway y the ed-ipal, two or more of the bride's relatives who may ask the groom's party for a gift, such as clothing or money. After the feast, the elders sit on a large mat for the edteltagan he rirey, to display the symbols for the bride's value. Ten piles of corn kernels each are laid out in rows. Each pile symbolizes remuneration for the pains taken by the bride's family in rearing her. Then the groom's family presents the items of the kagun which may consist of a house, a piece of land, clothing, money, articles made of iron, brass, and animals. These items are distributed to members of the bride's extended family, especially her aunts and uncles and those who contributed to the bride wealth given by her father when he married the bride's mother.

     When the negotiations over, the groom's family presents the head cloth (tenges), which symbolizes that the arrangements must be wrapped up tightly to ensure a happy life for the young couple. The seru ritual follows: the bride and groom sit before a dish of rice. Each of the spokespersons takes a fistful of rice, molds it into a ball, and gives it to the couple, who feed each other. Then the guests join in the eating, with much revelry. The bride's mother prepares betel chew and hands it to her daughter, who offers it to the groom. This gesture symbolizes her tasks and duties as a wife. The couple are then given advice by the elders while the guests leave for home. The groom's parents stay for three more days, during which a purification ritual of chickens and rice is performed for the couple's soul-spirit (gimukod), whose approval of the marriage is sought. The groom goes home with his parents to call his gimukod in case it stayed there while he was away. He does not stay away too long from his bride's home because, for every day that he is gone, he must gift his in-laws with an article of clothing.


I do agree to the author of the article where I based my blog that:

"Marriage is an alliance system in which which reciprocity mutual obligation between the groom's and bride's kinship groups are expected. It is, therefore, a means of maintaining peace and oder, for the Manobo's practice of retaliation does not extend to one's kindred or allies. Incest taboo is strictly followed up to a common great-great-great grandparent on both the mother's and father's side."

     Each corner of the Philippines has truly a lot of cultures. This is just one of it and a lot more to know and be fascinated about their beliefs, customs, and rituals.

Have a nice day guys!!

TRIVIAS

> POLYGAMY was allowed.
> The young couple stay with the wife's family.
> They build their own house close to the parents of either one.


TABOOS in building house
> If he sneezes while looking for a site, he should stop and forego the search for another day.
> If the cry of the limokon (omen bird/dove) is heard while he is clearing the site, he must look for another site.
> When he digs holes for the posts, he must avoid unearthing earthworms, termites, or beetles, for these will cause many deaths in the house.
> The posts must have no disfigurements because these will cause deaths in the family, no vines wrapped around them because this means that the owner will die by hanging, and no broken parts because this means that the wife will die.
> The roof's gable should face east so that the occupants' life "will be like the shining of the sun".

Some examples of symbolism of piles of corn kernels given to the bride
> one pile represents the purangan (to keep awake at night).
> another pile represents the tugenan (viand), the nourishment they have given her.


*Credits to Lydia Mary De Leon, author of the article.

REFERENCE:
http://litera1no4.tripod.com/manobo_frame.html#custom