Rarely Seen Mountain Wedding Rituals (Ibayyo Wedding in Bontoc, Philippines)

Anbilig, adbayo, at atakyag min gagawa sanwangwang ay kalinisan Bilig ay gawis Simon Buyboyaan Min langlang am'in ay maimuram Narigat, anbiyag, nanibayo Kaninday nak kinakging ay tugi I am Glyza Abcalen, I am a teacher in Manila, here in Bayon, in the mountain province. It is really far from Manila. This is where I grew up, this is where I planted, this is where I got the sweet potatoes, this is where I studied. I am Melford A. Lapnawan, I am a lawyer. I met Melford around 2020, he helped me. I was in Manila then, I was just informed that someone gave me wood. When a man gives you wood, it's a way of courting. If he likes a girl, he will talk to her, but if he doesn't like the girl, he can pay for the wood. I was married for a year. Of course, I talked to my in-laws. His mother asked me, Are you still single? I said, yes. She said, what do you want? Do you want to help in the farm or give me wood? I said, let's try, maybe it will work. I was on my way home from Baguio. I messaged him, I'm sorry, it was sudden. When I got home, he called me. Can we talk for a while? Maybe I can help you with your review, because I know that his review is a bit heavy. So every night, we talked on video call. That's where our friendship developed until he took me to Manila. When we were eating, he suddenly asked me, What are your plans for me? I don't know what I'm going to do. I said, do you want us to get married? It was natural that we became like that. Then we talked about our civil wedding. After that, since we are both from Ibayu, we needed to do the wedding celebration for everyone. We thought, since we started with tradition, let's just do it until the end. The wedding depends on the person who will get married. From this place, they prefer to get married here. But if one of the couple is from another place, they will choose whether to get married in Manila or in their province. Weeks before the wedding, there is an auction. The auction is the help from the bride and groom. That is also what will be used in the wedding to buy pork, groceries, vegetables, because the wedding is a bit expensive. Ibayu Wedding is not just for the family. It is for the whole barangay. The bride and groom come home from different places during a wedding celebration because others do it as a reunion. That is also the trademark of Ibayu. If there is something to do, even if it is just building a house, everyone will go to the barangay, everyone will go to the bride and groom to help each other. It is the same with weddings. If there is one trait that can be seen in this occasion, it is unity and brotherhood. Their ancestors believe that no matter what happens to you, it is still your brother because it is Ibayu. Even if you are not close, you will still help each other. The importance of this place is great because this is where we grew up. We really feel different when we are here. Ug-Ugfu is something that if you need something, everyone will go to help. Because if they also need something, you will also go there to help. It passes from one person to another. The workers eat here. Soldiers put the food here. The farmers eat here. This is our lunch break. Not only the workers, but also the children, everyone in the community will also have a snack, aside from eating. Especially if there is a lot of work, This has been planted for 25 years in Arang. We planted this when Gleisa was still a baby. The livelihood of the people here is farming. But the rice that we grow is not for sale. We plant it for consumption. Like now, when there is an occasion, we plant rice there. And that's what we prepare for the visitors. The name of Barangay Bayo was Hagpatan. At that time, the Spaniards came. They saw an old woman. The woman asked, What's the name of this place? She said, I plant rice. Because they plant rice. The Spaniards understood. This is Bayo. This is the beginning of Bayo. The ritual that we do, the meat that has been collected, they put it in a drum or a jar. Before they open it, there is an old man's prayer. He prayed that this would bring happiness to the people we visited. We eat, we drink, and we have a lot of food. That's what we do. We eat, we drink, We have a lot of food. We have gathered here today to pray for you, Father, that you will take care of all of us until this is over. We thank you, Father, for the food you gave us this evening. May this food continue to give us the strength we need physically and physically. We pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. It's the happiest time for everyone who joins. They play, dance, sing, the elders have their prayers. I hope you will give them a lot of children. Give them good luck so that even if they earn little, they will be able to save. Tomorrow is the wedding. We have a Christian wedding. Before, they really followed the rituals. But now, the Christian wedding is allowed. When it comes to religion also, we have accepted that even our elders go to church. There's no conflict. If you follow the tradition of the religious group, it will be better for the people. I'm very proud that we have integrated religion, but we have not lost our culture. Will you love Him for better or for worse? For richer or for poorer? In sickness or in health? Everyone will eat when they go home. Thank you. Especially to those who are here in Bayou. We are not here yet, but we are working. They are starting their work. Everyone is moving. Even the elders. Even if it's hard to walk, they are happy. It's really fun to be in Bayou. Because it's like you are moving alone. If I were to ask, my dream here in Bayou is for progress to continue. And all progress can be attained if it depends on the people. What should not change here are the values of the people in the community. Because the value of helping is what can be inherited from this tradition. In times of happiness and in times of grief, we are there to help each other. It's innate for us to help. If there is a wedding, they are in Manila. They are here. The streets are full. It's something that was instilled in them that you should still go home. Even if you are in Manila, in Baguio, or in another city, you should remember that you are still from here.