Readings in the Philippine History

RESEARCH OUTPUT
MY CULTURE AS AN ILOCANA
CANDON CITY, ILOCOS SUR
ü Fourth class city in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines.
ü “Tobacco Capital of the Philippines”
ü District center of Southern Ilocos Sur

Submitted by: Jirah Ann E. Manaois

BAPS 1b
Submitted to: Illuminada R. Isican
 Cityhood Anniversary Celebration
Annual commemoration of
the "Ikkis Ti Candon," also known as the
Cry of Candon, which was one of the
first revolutions in the Ilocos region
during the Spanish era. It is a significant
piece of history that Ilocanos from
Candon have been preserving and
h o n o r i n g f o r o v e r a c e n t u r y.
Furthermore, it promotes Candon's
economic growth potential since its
introduction as a city on March 28, 2001.
As a result, opportunities for trade,
economic, social, and cultural activities
emerged in this city.

Tobacco Festival
T h e To b a c c o F e s t i v a l
pr om ot es I locos as a m a j o r t o b a c c o
industry and pays tribute to tobacco's role
in the city's economic growth and
prosperity, which was celebrated during
the cityhood anniversary. This festival
includes activities that promote the city's
people, culture, traditions, and so on. The
following are some of the activies during
Tobacco Festival of Candon City.

q Panagdubla (Tobacco Rolling) Festival: Because tobacco is the city's main

attraction, tobacco farmers were invited to lead the celebration as participants in
the rolling of tobacco.
q Search for Miss Virginia Tobacco: A fiesta activity honoring Candonian
women's extraordinary beauty. A pageant that does not rely solely on a pretty
face or intelligence, but on a woman who is delicate but fierce, a well-rounded
individual, and a crowd favorite who represents the characteristics of Virginia
tobacco.
q Candon City Street Dance Competition: This was a highlight activity that
showcased the youth's talent and creativity, and students from various schools
across the city took part. It not only recognizes the talents of youth, but it also
represents the city's rich culture and history.
q Pammadayaw (Honour): The recognition and awarding of outstanding
Candonians who have contributed to the city’s honour and development.
 Fiesta Ti Bantay (Feast of the Forest)

Candon City, Ilocos Sur,

hosts an annual fiesta called Fiesta Ti
Bantay. This fiesta is dedicated to their
various environmental projects, such
as tree planting. Every year, they come
up with a theme to celebrate the said
fiesta. It is also a way to promote the
city's environment and achieve the
city's goal of becoming the Ilocos
Region's fruit bowl.

Candon Music Festival

An annual music festival

in Candon City, Ilocos Sur begins in the
month of May. This festival began in
2019 and was led by Ryan Cayabyab
as festival director. They saw the
festival's potential to promote the
province as a tourist destination and
decided to hold it annually.

Feria de Candon

Feria de Candon
commemorates the first exposition
held in 1892, the first trade exhibit put
up in the Ilocos region. Every
December, various activities are held
as part of Ilocos Sur's initiative to
highlight the province's one-town-one-
product (OTAP) of Candon City and its
municipalities and Feria de Candon is
one of those.
 Ilocano marriage rituals
q Danon: It is a negotiation process, also known as pamamanhikan,
that takes place before a marriage in which the suitor's parents meet
formally with the girl's parents to agree on dowry and wedding
arrangements. "No adda arak mo, dumanon ka," (If you have wine,
you can negotiate). Ilocanos recognized how wine, also known as
"Basi," influenced marriage, since Ilocanos believe that "basi" can
fully express their feelings.
q Candles and Rice: After the wedding ceremony, the newlywed
couple is greeted by a boy and girl holding lit candles. The lighted
candles, according to Ilocanos, represent the torch that will light their
way to married life. Furthermore, rice is used to greet the newlyweds
as they ascend the house stairs. Ilocanos believed that showering
the couple with rice grains was a way of wishing them life's blessings.
q Buri Mat: The newlyweds kneel on a buri mat while prayers are
recited for them. This mat is sacred to the Ilocanos because it
represents something durable and strong that will help the couple
have a stronger relationship.
q Mangik-ikamen: An old man and an old woman present the dal-ot
(wedding song). The theme of the dal-ot is the ups and downs as
well as the do’s and don’ts of married life.

Ilocano Death rituals

q When a person is dying, an elderly woman is usually summoned to

pray for him and care for him. A coconut shell is placed beneath the
dying man's bed so that everyone in the room can hear the angel
and devil squabbling over the man's soul.
q Atong (burning piece of wood): This is placed in front of the gate
of the death's house to announce his death to both spirits and living
people.
q Clothes and other mementos are buried with the dead so that the
coul not return for his prized possessions.
q The dead man's kin perform the mano (hand kissing) to pay respect
before the funeral.
q “Aggulgul” of the Ilocanos: A ritual performed after the burial of a
family member in which they wash their heads in the sea or river to
wash away the pain of losing someone as well as the sickness and
bad luck associated with the death.
 “Atang” of the Ilocanos
An Ilocano appeasement ritual to cure illness caused by kaibaan or
ansisit, which are tiny unseen spirits with mythical powers. When you inadvertently
harm them, they can cause you a variety of pain. This ritual consists of making an
offering to the spirits in order for them to forgive the patient or to ward off evil spirits.
For Ilocanos, the most common atang is "sinukat," also known as rice cake.
Furthermore, atang are provided for the deceased by relatives to
commemorate and demonstrate that they are still important even though they have
died.
Saying of “Dayu-Dayu or Bari-Bari”
This is typically done when someone visits a location that they are
unfamiliar with. Ilocanos believed that saying "dayu-dayu" or "bari-bari" would summon
spirits that would harm them while they were present.

Saying of “awidun (your name), Di ka agbatbati (your name)”

"Awidun" means to return home, and "di ka agbatbati" means to leave.
Ilocanos believed that if you did not say this word on your way home, your souls would
be left behind. They are inviting their souls to join them to go home.

Celebrating and organizing various fiestas and festivals benefits not only Candon but
also the entire Ilocos region. Having to celebrate the fiestas and festivals mentioned on
previous pages allows the city's residents to recognize, promote, and be proud of their own.
Furthermore, those celebrations contribute to the city's improvement and development.
On the other hand, rites and rituls aid, guide, and provide a rhythm to Ilocanos' lives.
"We are what we repeatedly do." as Aristotle said. However, we also rely on them as
fantastic little reminders of what we truly care about. Rituals keep us focused on our goals
and are sometimes defined as the outward manifestation of an inward value. The following
below are the benefits of rites and rituals to the Ilocanos like me.
Enhances people’s social llife
Nothing brings the people of Ilocos together more than festivals and people with the
same beliefs. Fiestas and festivals foster social relationships and communication among
Ilocanos. It serves as a means of bringing the Ilocanos together. One of the most significant
advantages that Ilocanos can gain from celebrating these festivals is greater community
harmony and stronger social relationships, which can contribute to a more peaceful and
enjoyable city to live in.
Meanwhile, having the rites and rituals or belief in certain circumtances may be a great
way for people to come together.It is like a belief system wherein people will unite when they
all believe in the same thing. In terms of having the same rites and rituals as Ilocanos, they
usually come together and have that understanding just based on the fact that they share
the same belief. Therefore, in the end, unity and good social relationships will be fostered.
 Preserves culture
Another advantage of these celebrations is that they aid in the preservation of our culture
and heritage. For example, the Candonians' annual Cityhood Anniversary Celebration allows
them to preserve the city's history and pass it on to the next generation. A platform indeed to
preserve and pass down the Ilocano culture. The festival could serve as an annual reminder
of how the city survived colonization. Furthermore, each of these celebrations focuses on a
cultural theme, with the goal of educating Candonians about their traditions. Festivals can
help preserve intangible cultural assets like living cultural knowledge, identity, meaning, and
core beliefs engrained in certain traditional fiestas or festivals.
Also, rites and rituals, like fiestas and festivals, help preserve our ancestors' beliefs,
traditions and culture. In today's modern society, those rites and rituals remind us of who we
are and what our culture is as an Ilocana. The best way to preserve Ilocano culture is to keep
it alive. By doing the rites and rituals of the Ilocanos, it enables the culture to stay alive.
Opportunity for economic growth
Fiestas and festivals, and our uniques rites and rituals also contribute to the city's
economic growth. The majority of the fiestas and festivals mentioned promote the city's
culture, traditions, and history, which attracts visitors or tourists. There will be an increase in
the growth of tourism in the city as well as other businesses in the Ilocos region.
A way of expression
Based from the activities of an Ilocano I have provided above, it was noticeable how those
activities expresses our selves like the rituals for the dead, through doing the rituals we
expressed how we love the person who died. Another example is the marriage rituals
wherein doing the said rituals above enables the the attendees of their wedding to express
their blessings towards the couple. On the other hand, fiestas and festivals are being
celebrated to express the gratitude of the candonians such the Tobacco festival.
Source of entertainment
Festivals are an excellent way to divert people's attention away from the stresses of
modern life. As an Ilocana attending festivals at Candon City, I do believe that those
celebrations provide a great source of amusement or entertainment for the Candonians. The
most effective means of keeping the city alive. Through celebrating fiestas and festivals, so
many different emotions are felt, such as love, attachment, connectedness, beauty, and
prosperity, that even if someone is going through a difficult time, they, too, let their sadness
go, even if only for a short time.

To summarize all of the benefits of fiestas and festivals, as well as rites and rituals, at the
end of the day, those things contribute to our identity, and continuing those will sustain who
we are.Having those celebrations and activities embodies how Ilocanos gave significance to
the things that were passed by the past generation. As an Ilocana from Candon City, I can
say that fiestas and festivals, and rites and rituals, give us a sacred space to hold our beliefs
in our minds, hearts and actions, because we are all proud to be called an Ilocano.
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