Amador T. Daguio's "Wedding Dance"

From "Fourteen Love Stories" edited by Jose Dalisay Jr. and Angela R. Lacuesta


From the introduction of the book, this story is described as such:

"Set in the northern highlands, "Wedding Dance" by Amador Daguio is the most hurtful of these stories to read, starting on a pang of pain and never quite letting go"
Read about the author of this story, Amador Daguio, here and the book "Fourteen Love Stories" here.
Now, in order to gain a better understanding of this story, one must know something about Ifugao tribal law. Mr. Wasing Sacla, former vice-mayor of the Benguet Provincial Government writes (in this article):

"A couple who wish to divorce due to infertility of either one of the partners is allowed by the law. A husband who divorces a wife without any valid reason will have to leave all properties to the children and the wife, this is another law."
The importance of having children is reiterated in local lore, but, as the story name escapes me, at the moment, I am unable to give you the title.

-

Awiyao reached for the upper horizontal log which served as the edge of the head-high threshold. Clinging to the log, he lifted himself with one bound that carried him across to the narrow door. He slid back the cover, stepping inside, then pushed the cover back in place. After some moments, during which he seemed to wait, he talked to the listening darkness.

"I'm sorry this had to be done. I am really sorry. But neither of us can help it."

The sound of the gangsas beat through the walls of the dark house like muffled roars of falling waters. The woman who had moved with a start when the sliding door opened had been hearing the gangsas for she didn't know how long. The sudden rush of the rich sounds when the door opened was like a sharp gush of fire in her. She gave no sign that she heard Awiyao, but continued to sit unmoving in the darkness.
But Awiyao knew that she heard him and his heart pitied her. He crawled on all fours to the middle of the room; he knew exactly where the stove was. With his fingers, he stirred the covered smoldering embers and blew into them. When the coals began to glow, Awiyao put pieces of pinewood on them, then full round logs as big as his arms. The room brightened.
"Why don't you go out," he said, "and join the dancing women?" He felt a pang inside of him, because what he said was really not the right thing to say and because the woman did not talk or stir. "You should join the dancers," he said, "as if--as if nothing has happened." He looked at the woman huddled in a corner of the room, leaning against the wall.  The stove fire played with strange moving shadows and light upon her face.

She was partly sullen, but her sullenness was not because of anger or hate.
“Go out—go out and dance. If you really don’t hate me for the separation, go out and dance. One of the men will see you dance well, he will like your dancing; he will marry you. Who knows but that, with him, you will be luckier than you were with me?”
“I don’t want any man,” she said sharply. “I don’t want any other man.”
He felt relieved that, at last, she talked: “You know very well that I don’t want any other woman, either. You know that, don’t you? Lumnay, you know it, don’t you?”
She did not answer him.
“You know it, Lumnay, don’t you?” he repeated.
“Yes, I know,” she said weakly.
“It is not my fault,” he said, feeling relieved. “You cannot blame me; I have been a good husband to you.”
“Neither can you blame me,” she said. She seemed about to cry.
“You, you have been very good to me. You have been a good wife. I have nothing to say against you.” He set some of the burning wood in place. “It’s only that a man must have a child. Seven harvests is just too long to wait. Yes, we have waited long. We should have another chance, before it is too late for both of us.”
This time, the woman stirred, stretched her right leg out and bent her left leg in. She wound the blanket more snuggly around herself.
“You know that I have done my best,” she said. “I have prayed to Kabuniyan much. I have sacrificed many chickens in my prayers.”
“Yes, I know.”
“You remember how angry you were once when you came home from your work in the terrace because I butchered one of our pigs without your permission? I did it to appease Kabuniyan, because, like you, I wanted so much to have a child. But what could I do?”
“Kabuniyan does not see fit for us to have a child,” he said. He stirred the fire. The sparks rose through the crackles of the flames. The smoke and soot went up to the ceiling.
Lumnay looked down and unconsciously started to pull at the rattan that kept the split bamboo flooring in place. She tugged at the rattan flooring. Each time she did this, the split bamboo went up and came down with a slight rattle. The gongs of the dancers clamorously called in her ears through the walls.
Awiyao went to the corner where Lumnay sat, paused before her, looked at her bronzed and sturdy face, then turned to where the jars of water stood, piled one over the other. Awiyao took a coconut cup and dipped it in the top jar and drank. Lumnay had filled the jars from the mountain creek early that evening.
“I came home,” he said, “because I did not find you among the dancers. Of course, I am not forcing you to come, if you don’t want to join my wedding ceremony. I came to tell you that Madulimay, although I am marrying her, can never become as good as you are. She is not as strong in planting beans, not as fast in cleaning water jars, not as good in keeping a house clean. You are one of the best wives in the whole village.”
“That has not done me any good, has it?” she said. She looked at him lovingly. She almost seemed to smile.
He put the coconut cup aside on the floor and came closer to her. He held her face between his hands and looked longingly at her face. The next day, she would not be his anymore. She would go back to her parents. He let go of her face, and she bent to the floor again and looked at her fingers as they tugged softly at the split bamboo floor.
“This house is yours,” he said. “I built it for you. Make it your own. Live in it as long as you wish. I will build another house for Madulimay.”
“I have no need for a house,” she said slowly. “I’ll go to my own house. My parents are old. They will need help in the planting of the beans, in the pounding of the rice.”
“I will give you the field that I dug out of the mountain during the first year of our marriage,” he said. “You know I did it for you. You helped me to make it for the two of us.”
“I have no use for any field,” she said.
He looked at her, then turned away and became silent. They were silent for a long time.
“Go back to the dance,” she said finally. “It is not right for you to be here. They will wonder where you are, and Madulimay will not feel good. Go back to the dance.”
“I would feel better if you could come and dance—for the last time. The gangsas are playing.”
“You know I cannot.”
“Lumnay,” he said tenderly. “Lumnay, if I did this, it is because of my need for a child. You know that life is not worth living without a child. They have mocked me behind my back. You know that.”
“I know it,” she said. “I will pray that Kabuniyan will bless you and Madulimay.”
She bit her lips now, then shook her head wildly, and sobbed.
She thought of the seven harvests that had passed, the high hopes they had in the beginning of their new life, the day he took her away from her parents across the roaring river, on the other side of the mountain, the trip up the trail which they had to climb, the steep canyon which they had to cross—the waters boiled in her mind in foams of white and jade and roaring silver; the waters rolled and growled, resounded in thunderous echoes through the walls of the steep cliffs; they were far away now but loud still and receding; the waters violently smashed down from somewhere on the tops of the other ranges, and they looked carefully at the buttresses of rocks they had to step on—a slip would have meant death.
They both drank of the water then rested on the other bank before they made the final climb to the other side of the mountain.
She looked at his face with the fire playing upon his features—hard and strong, and kind. He had a sense of lightness in his way of saying things which often made her and the village people laugh. How proud she had been of his humor. The muscles were taut and firm, bronze and compact in their hold upon his skull—how frank his bright eyes were. She looked at his body that carved out of the mountains five fields for her; his wide and supple torso heaved as if a slab of shining lumber were heaving; his arms and legs flowed down in fluent muscles—he was strong and for that she had lost him.
She flung herself upon his knees and clung to them. “Awiyao, Awiyao, my husband,” she cried, “I did everything to have a child,” she said passionately in a hoarse whisper. She took away the blanket that covered her. “Look at me,” she cried. “Look at my body. Then it was full of promise. It could dance; it could work fast in the field; it could climb the mountains fast. Even now, it is firm, full. But, Awiyao, Kabuniyan never blessed me. Awiyao, Kabuniyan is cruel to me. Awiyao, I am useless. I must die.”
“It will not be right to die,” he said gathering her in his arms. Her whole warm naked breast quivered against his own; she clung now to his neck, and her head lay upon his right shoulder; her hair flowed down in cascades of gleaming darkness.
“I don’t care about the fields,” she said. “I don’t care about the house. I don’t care for anything but you. I’ll never have another man.”
“Then, you’ll always be fruitless.”
“I’ll go back to my father, I’ll die.”
“Then you hate me,” he said. “If you die, it means you hate me. You do not want me to have a child. You don’t want my name to live on in our tribe.”
She was silent.
“If I do not try a second time,” he explained, “it means I’ll die. Nobody will get the fields that I have carved out of the mountains; nobody will come after me.”
“If you fail—if you fail this second time—,” she said thoughtfully. Then her voice was a shudder. “No—no, I don’t want you to fail.”
“If I fail,” he said, “I’ll come back to you. Then both of us will die together. Both of us will vanish from the life of our tribe.”
The gongs thundered through the walls of their house, sonorous and faraway.
“I’ll keep my beads,” she said. “Awiyao, let me keep my beads,” she half-whispered.
“You will keep the beads. They come form far-off times. My grandmother said they came from way up North, from the slant-eyed people across the sea. You keep them, Lumnay. They are worth twenty fields.”
“I’ll keep them because they stand for the love you have for me,” she said. “I love you. I love you and have nothing to give.”
She took herself away from him, for a voice was calling out to him from outside. “Awiyao! Awiyao! O Awiyao! They are looking for you at the dance!”
“I am not in a hurry.”
“The elders will scold you. You had better go.”
“Not until you tell me that it is all right with you.”
“It is all right with me.”
He clasped her hands. “I do this for the sake of the tribe,” he said.
“I know,” she said.
He went to the door.
“Awiyao!”
He stopped, as if suddenly hit by a spear. In pain, he turned to her. Her face was in agony. It was pained him to leave. She had been wonderful to him. What was it that made man wish for a child? What was it in life, in the work in the fields, in the planting and harvest, in the silence of the night, in the communing of husband and wife, in the whole life of the tribe itself, that made man wish for the laughter and speech of a child? Suppose he changed his mind? Why did the unwritten law demand, anyway, that a man, to be a man, must have a child to come after him? And if he was fruitless—but he loved Lumnay. It was like taking away half of his life to leave her like this.
“Awiyao,” she said, and her eyes seemed to smile in the light. “The beads!”
He turned back and walked to the farthest corned of their room, to the trunk where they kept their worldly possessions—his battle-ax and his spear points, her betel nut box and her beads. He dug out from the darkness the beads, which had been given to him by his grandmother, to give to Lumnay on the day of their marriage. He went to her, lifted her head, put the beads on, and tied them in place. The white and jade and deep orange obsidians shone in the firelight. She suddenly clung to him clung to his neck, as if she would never let him go.
“Awiyao! Awiyao, it is hard!” she gasped, and she closed her eyes and buried her face in his neck
The call for him from the outside repeated; her grip loosened and he hurried out into the night.
Lumnay sat for some time in the darkness. Then, she went to the door and opened it. The moonlight struck her face; the moonlight spilled itself upon the whole village.
She could hear the throbbing of the gangsas coming to her through the caverns of the other houses. She knew that all the houses were empty; that the whole tribe was at the dance. Only she was absent. And yet, was she not the best dancer in the village? Did she not have the most lightness and grace? Could she not, alone among all the women, dance like a bird tripping for grains on the ground, beautifully timed to the beat of the gangsas? Did not the men praise her supple body, and the women envy the way she stretched her hands like the wings of the mountain eagle now and then as she danced? How long ago did she dance at her own wedding? Tonight, all the women who counted, who once danced in her honor, were dancing now in honor of another whose only claim was that, perhaps, she could give her husband a child.
“It is not right. It is not right!” she cried. “How does she know? How can anybody know? It is not right,” she said.
Suddenly, she found the courage. She would go to the dance. She would go to the chief of the village, to the elders, to tell them it was not right. Awiyao was hers; nobody could take him away from her. Let her be the first woman to complain, to denounce the unwritten rule that a man may take another woman. She would break the dancing of the men and women. She would tell Awiyao to come back to her. He surely would relent. Was not their love as strong as the river?
She made for the other side of the village where the dancing was. There was a flaming glow over the whole place a great bonfire was burning. The gangsas clamored more loudly now, and it seemed they were calling to her. She was near, at last. She could see the dancers clearly now. The men leaped lithely their gangsas as they circled the dancing women decked in feast garments and beads, tripping on the ground like graceful birds, following their men. Her heart warmed to the flaming call of the dance; strange heat in her blood welled up, and she started to run.
But the flaming brightness of the bonfire commanded her to stop. Did anybody see her approach? She stopped. What if somebody had seen her coming? The flames of the bonfire leaped in countless sparks, which spread, rose like yellow points, and died out in the night. The blaze reached out to her like a spreading radiance. She did not have the courage to break into the wedding feast.
Lumnay walked away from the dancing ground, away from the village. She thought of the new clearing of beans which Awiyao and she had started to make only four moons before. She followed the trail above the village.
When she came to the mountain stream, she crossed it carefully. Nobody held her hands, and the stream water was very cold. The trail went up again, and she was in the moonlight shadows among the trees and shrubs. Slowly, she climbed the mountain.
When Lumnay reached the clearing, she could see from where she stood the blazing bonfire at the edge of the village, where the dancing was. She could hear the far-off clamor of the mountain. The sound did not mock her; they seemed to call far to her, speak to her in the language of unspeaking love. She felt the pull of their clamor, almost feeling that they were telling to her their gratitude for her sacrifice. Her heartbeat began to sound to her like many gangsas.
Lumnay thought of Awiyao as the Awiyao she had known long ago—a strong, muscular boy carrying his heavy loads of fuel logs down the mountains to his home. She had met him one day as she was on her way to fill her clay jars with water. He had stopped at the spring to drink and rest; and she had made him drink the cool mountain water from her coconut shell. After that, it did not take him long to decide to throw his spear on the stairs of her father’s house in token on his desire to marry her.
The mountain clearing was cold in the freezing moonlight. The wind began to sough and stir the leaves of the bean plants. Lumnay looked for a big rock on which to sit down. The bean plants now surrounded her, and she was lost among them.
A few more weeks, a few more months, a few more harvests—what did it matter? She would be holding the bean flowers, soft in texture, silken almost, but moist where the dew got into them, silver to look at, silver on the light blue blooming whiteness, when the morning comes. The stretching of the bean pods full length from the hearts of the wilting petals would go on.
Lumnay’s fingers moved a long time among the growing bean pods.

Endnotes: Before hitting the comment button and asking questions, do scroll through the previous comments. I've tried to answer what I could. Also, for a better perspective on the setting, check out Son of Wood. I also tried to write about my thoughts on the theme of the story in this essay. I do hope all this will be a help to you.http://mush-festival.blogspot.com/2011/04/on-amador-t-daguio.html

116 comments:

nyce said...

what are the basic divisions of the story?

what does the last sentence implies or means?-Lumnay's fingers moved a long, long time among the growing bean pods.

thanks, hope to have an answer to these questions..

Unknown said...

can you tell me the theme and the setting of the story?

thank you...

CYMers said...

Do you know any 'lighter' translation of this story?

Thanks!

jules said...

What could be the most possible reason why the title of the story is "Wedding Dance"?

How many exact years is the seven harvest that the couple were together?

kathleen said...

what is the summary of the story "wedding dance"??

carlo_03 said...

what is the summary of the story "Wedding dance"?

carlo_03 said...

whta is the setting of the story of "Wedding dance"?

rein_heart said...

can you publish a much more ligther translation of amador t. daguio's "wedding dance"
thank you!

rein_heart said...

can you publish a much more ligther translation of amador t. daguio's "wedding dance"
thank you!

Paris dLR said...

i really should use the "notify when comments are posted" function. i didn't know anyone commented.

basic divisions... it's a short story, so i'd simply give you the five parts of the plotline, which you can easily google.

the last sentence, you'd have to interpret it on your own. to me, you can interpret it several ways. one way is because the beans are the only "children" lumnay had with awiyao, she is caressing them. another way is that she may be opting to destroy them so she could move on. from lumnay's characterization, i think the former is more appropriate.

the themes are, perhaps, "love about to be lost", "letting go", and "love does not conquer all". the setting is in the northern parts of the philippines, in the mountainous regions, within one of the mountain tribes.

the story is not a translation, i believe. it is as it was written.

seven harvests = seven years.

the title may pertain to awiyao's wedding dance with his new wife, which is happening in the background at the time of the story. it may also pertain to the "dance of marriage". it may also pertain to lumnay's reminiscing about her own wedding dance. again, this is subject to interpretation (unless you ask the author, himself).

that said, i'm going to disable the ban on anonymous comments. ^_^

Julius henry diez said...

the story is nice and yet it's a bit sad on how the love story between awiyao and lumnay have turn out to be..

Julius henry diez said...

are there any other story? can you send it to my email?
thanx!

Paris dLR said...

This story really is one of the bittersweet stories in Philippine literature. I have no more stories from Mr. Daguio, but I still have a few more stories that I can post here. I just haven't found the time to encode them, yet.

Unknown said...

can you please tell me what is the theme of the story all about.
thanks...-

Anonymous said...

i recommend dead stars by paz benitez. It's also a sad story

Anonymous said...

it's a sad yet romantic story....my english teacher recommended this story for our book report...

Anonymous said...

hi mr. amador can u give me more short story in my email add lovely_orcales15 tnx ..

Anonymous said...

hi mr. amador can u give me more short story in my email add lovely_orcales15 tnx ..

Anonymous said...

what is the meaning or interpretation of the last 2 paragraphs? what did Lumnay do? or what happened to Lumnay?

Anonymous said...

halOo mR. Paris dLR..

just want to ask favor from u..

mmm..

if u r about to make a continuation

of the story? what would it be??

hope u could help me out of it>>

thnX

Paris dLR said...

Hmm... First off, "Wedding Dance" is by Mr. Daguio. I think there is some confusion here as I am not Mr. Daguio.

=) I'm glad many people took notice of the story. It really is a wonderful piece of Filipino Literature.

Anonymous said...

such a wonderful story.. tnx for posting it paris..

Anonymous said...

@Paris dLR - I don't think Awiyao and Lumnay ever had a child, thats why Awiyao was forced to marry someone else (in order to have a child)

Paris dLR said...

@freelancerKORO : yup. that's exactly why awiyao needed a new wife.

Hashie said...

Hi Can you cite some events That culture is used as a technology of social control and what events explain that Lumnay participates in and defies her oppression in Wedding Dance??

Paris dLR said...

@Hashie: If you read the introductory remarks of the post, you will see that in Lumnay and Awiyao's culture, it is necessary to have a child because the children are the heirs to everything the parents have, from the name to the worldly possessions to the skills of the parents. Another story set in the same setting speaks of a man who carved and breathed life into a wooden child in order to have an heir.

Cultural norms have always been used as an excuse to control the behavior of people. They can be constricting and opressive though it was probably not initially the intention of the practices. For example, chastity (particularly before marriage) is encouraged by most cultures and many peoples have a variety of traditional punishments for those who violate chastity. An Islamic woman who was unable to preserve her virginity before marriage can be returned to her parents or, in the time of Jesus, an unfaithful spouse could be stoned to death by the Jews. Lumnay, who did not attend the festivities of Awiyao's wedding, is in a way defying custom. Weddings are joyous occasions that all people should celebrate, and Lumnay's non-attendance is an act the clearly states her disagreement with tradition.

I must clarify, though, that all of these are only my humble opinion.

Paris dLR said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
littlejaim said...

this site really helped me a lot wit my literture subject. thnx to all. hehe

Anonymous said...

what was the gangsas mean their?

Anonymous said...

helooow...guys can you give me a short deffination of the story?

Paris dLR said...

Please scroll through the comments. Answers to some of the questions are there.

Gangsas is a brass gong that is used in the northern regions of the country. It actually looks like a big metallic plate. :) It can be played by striking it with a stick or with the hands. It's different from the Agung of the south because it has no knob in the middle. Because its back is shallower than the Agung's Gangsas provide a "tinnish" sound as opposed to the deep reverberating sound made by the Agung when struck at its knob. But these are IMO. I played ethnic instruments back in elementary.

Note: The other Malay cultures in South East Asia also have instruments called "gangsa". Their gangsa is more like the saronays and kulintangs of the country, which are native versions of the xylophone.

JEFFREY C. DELA PAZ said...

I am JEFFREY C. DELA PAZ, from PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY. This story is very nice. Even some Filipinos are not really familiar with this kind of wedding ceremony (because usually, we face the altar of the church), it is good to know that Philippines had this kind of culture.. I someday, there will be a publication of different undiscovered cultures in our country.. So that we can be aware of it, and of course... Can be proud of around the world... Am I right? Hehehe... I'm a new member of Google Blog. Hello everyone!!!

naLz08241992 said...

hi paris DLR,

can u plz help me coz we have a report about this story....

wat happened to lumnay at the mountain??

can plz give me script about this story coz we will just present a play!!

wat is the costume of lumnay at the house?


the bead, is it a peral or wat?

tnx...

naLz08241992 said...

PEARL i mean of the bead

Anonymous said...

it is very nice story...
Thanks to mr.daguio.

Anonymous said...

hi there! i'm from benguet (CAR region) and i believe this story was based on our tradition here in the cordillera. but i think most of us here dont follow that tradition already.. so i really felt so sad when i was reading this..

thanks for posting it by the way..

changkuri said...

it is a very good story.
i love the plot.
the characters are great!
and has a value to learn.

but if i am lumnay.i'll never let awiyao to marry another woman.
i love him and he love me.

Unknown said...

nice one!!
my questions had been answered by the posted comment!!! hahah!!

candice said...

hello, i just want to ask something, bcause we have a report about this story.

can you site issues related to this story?
AND
can you give some examples of situation that's similar to this?

thankyou in advance,it'll be a great help for me.:)

candice said...

please please answer my questions.
i need it tis coming week.omg.

thanks!

Paris dLR said...

I don't know whether to be flattered or annoyed that people are demanding that I "help" them with their reports. :)

Now, issues relating to the story.... Perhaps, living in a largely Christian society, the issue of divorce and remarriage could be brought up, as Awiyao and Lumnay went through a similar experience. If you would read through the comments and notes, you would see that not producing children is a good reason for divorce (this may seem inconcievable to us), because in this culture, producing an heir is important (see the story Son of Wood for a better picture of the Ifugao culture regarding marriage and children).

Anonymous said...

my i ask where i can find Mr. Daguio?

thank you!!

Paris dLR said...

Mr. Daguio is a pre-war writer born in 1912. If I'm not mistaken, he's dead. But, I'm sure the schools where he studied and taught at would have some information on him. Here are some of the schools affiliated with him. I'm not familiar with the regional ones, though:

Rizal High School in Pasig
UP Diliman in Quezon City
UE in Manila
Philippine Women's University in Manila

Anonymous said...

ahh! may i ask for your help..? i've seen your answer to the previous question about the interpretation for the last 2 paragraphs of the story, but I still find it a little confusing?
Because this part was a little like an open ending line where the author really tend to make the readers think of what really happened with Lumnay after some time that she got separated with Awiyaw?
Or maybe yes, you've got a point that it tells us that Lumnay just got contented with continuing the progression of the field which was given by Awiyaw? That it doesn't matter anymore what happened to the both of them, coz in the end, Lumnay continued to live by the fact that she should just accept what happened but continue loving Awiyaw through taking good care of the field which was according to the story: "awiyaw's symbol of love" for lumnay..

arrgg..that was just my own interpretation though.pls correct me if i am wrong. thanks!

Paris dLR said...

I was actually saying that, the way the story was written, the ending really did leave a lot of questions unanswered. Your guess on what happens next is as good as mine. Asking what happens after the last sentence is like asking me "What happened during 'Happily Ever After'?" She could've stayed in the mountains, away from the people who took away her love; she could have killed herself because she could not imagine life without Awiyao; she could have decided to join the festivities, in the end; or she could've met Michael Jackson and learned the moonwalk from him. And that's the beauty of it, isn't it? We are free to imagine what happened to her(so, yes, I'm agreeing with you that Mr. Daguio wanted us to think). Of course, from the way Lumnay was written, we can imagine which possibilities are plausible and which are not.

In short, I cannot correct you, because we are both speculating. If you're still unsure, get a better grasp of the setting. Try to imagine what could've led to Awiyao and Lumnay's divorce. Try to picture how Lumnay was brought up and what she was taught to believe was right. And then, from there, find what seems to be the most logical path for her to take.

tassandra said...

READ THIS PLEASE IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY DOES WEDDING DANCE ENTITLED AS WEDDING DANCE......
...BUT THIS IS JUST MY OPINION...




FOR ME MY ANSWER TOY YOUR QUESTION:

the reason why the wedding dance is entitled as wedding dance bcoz in their tribe when one person is getting married they will have a party this called "shower party" the other reason is when awiyao and lumnay when they are getting married they have wedding dance and for them this is the start of HAPPINESS in their life.........
Seven harvests is a IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION ven me i dont know what is the meaning of it?






QUESTION? What could be the most possible reason why the title of the story is "Wedding Dance"?

How many exact years is the seven harvest that the couple were together?

tassandra said...

READ THIS PLEASE IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY DOES WEDDING DANCE ENTITLED AS WEDDING DANCE......
...BUT THIS IS JUST MY OPINION...




FOR ME MY ANSWER TOY YOUR QUESTION:

the reason why the wedding dance is entitled as wedding dance bcoz in their tribe when one person is getting married they will have a party this called "shower party" the other reason is when awiyao and lumnay when they are getting married they have wedding dance and for them this is the start of HAPPINESS in their life.........
Seven harvests is a IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION ven me i dont know what is the meaning of it?






QUESTION? What could be the most possible reason why the title of the story is "Wedding Dance"?

How many exact years is the seven harvest that the couple were together?

neNbe said...

good day to you all. before anything else, i would like to make some introductions first.

i am currently a student here in midanao and we had an assignment or may i say a requirement in our literature class: a play. and we were given this title.

my task is to know the props of the play. and i read here (a comment) that she was from benguet and i know that the author paris dLR has a good knowledge about this play.

so i know that i can be answered properly by my main question (that is my main concern):

what are the things that can be seen in the house of a typical house in the mountain province? which is also present in the play?

thanks a lot in advance for answering me.

Paris dLR said...

Again, I'm not the author. :)

@ neNbe : Props... hmmm... I suggest you read through the story. It describes Lumnay's house quite well.

I think the couple just had the necessities. They didn't really need much else. Water jars, cooking and eating utensils (I don't think they had spoons and forks, think bowls and cups), charms to protect the home, and sleeping mats and blankets. I'm not sure, but I believe they're like the current inhabitants of Batanes, they keep their rice and grain in a sort of loft, so the ceilings are pretty low. What I know comes from visiting Tam-Awan village in Baguio. XD

Try this site. I didn't have the time to read it, but I think it has some information. Google images will help you when searching for examples of the artifacts.

Anonymous said...

I'm Jessa po..I hve no google account po eh, that's why I choose anonymous nlang.Pero sooner or later, iwill make my own..by the way, Thanks po for this story it helps me a lot.Question po, What is the lesson of this story????????thank you po

Anonymous said...

give the sequel of the wedding dance story

Anonymous said...

I have some questions:

In the story, Initially, Lumnay decided to go to the dance to make a mockery of the tribe's beliefs and traditions, but upon seeing the bonfire, she changed her mind. What did she see in it?

What does the line mean: "The stretching of the bean pods full length from the hearts of the wilting petals would go on."

Thank You and I appreciate if you could answer these. Thanks again! :)

Paris dLR said...

1. Lumnay didn't go to the wedding dance, that's why Awiyao was there, in the first place; he was asking her to go to the dance. She was at home.

2. "The stretching of the bean pods full length from the hearts of the wilting petals would go on." - Subject to interpretation, but I imagine it to be an allusion to Lumnay's love.. or something.. sorry, a bit busy at the moment.

Anonymous said...

Hi Paris, what is the setting of the story of wedding dance? where was Awiyao at the beginning of the story? why was he there? what was his purpose?

kaycee said...

how did Lumnay take this heartbreaking experience in her life? what finally did she do? what type of character is Awiyao? who is the protagonist in the story? what is the conflict of the story? what is the conflict of law and love in the story. THANX!!

Paris dLR said...

My goodness, poor indolent children, it won't hurt you to read. It's also a useful thing in life to learn how to reflect.

The story is a beautiful piece of literature and, I believe, the comments are rather informative as they are. Just posting your English teachers' homework questions here and waiting for a dole out will not help you prosper in life.

Anonymous said...

@ Paris DLR: hi!i'm a college student from ust taking up journalism. and id like to let you know how much your post has helped me in understanding this selection. you have provided me with so much knowledge regarding the theme and the means of interpreting the story.thank you sooo much. i hope that your future posts will be as helpful as this one...:))))))

Anonymous said...

when is the exact date and the year that this story has made?

Anonymous said...

I have read the story. its great, but their fate is very depressing. Ok theres a part in the story that says that Lumnay got the courage to face the tribe's cultures and traditions but was halted by the great bonfire, hmm this line states that lumnay had a change of heart, it also says here that the fire told her something thats hard to guess and understand, what did the fire show to lumnay that made her back off? did lumnay realize something?

Just curious, thanks for posting this great story paris :D and p.s. i dont have a google account:( only a yahoo account :D

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Anonymous said...

hey paris..about the story.what should be its interpretation?

would you please help me?

my pleasure .. :)

a million thanks!


draxx here..

Anonymous said...

hi, i'm a cordilleran! I just want to react to some of the posts. I think this story is not from benguet. It is likely from ifugao. if you will just read through the story it will tell much of the culture, the setting, the things in the house, and others. Well, it needs an understanding of the different cultures of the Highland people on marriage for you to be able to understand the story. I would like to say also that this is not practiced anymore, well, maybe still practiced in isolated places.
I like those who are really interested concerning some other unknown cultures. :)

Anonymous said...

hi, i'm a cordilleran! I just want to react to some of the posts. I think this story is not from benguet. It is likely from ifugao. if you will just read through the story it will tell much of the culture, the setting, the things in the house, and others. Well, it needs an understanding of the different cultures of the Highland people on marriage for you to be able to understand the story. I would like to say also that this is not practiced anymore, well, maybe still practiced in isolated places.
I like those who are really interested concerning some other unknown cultures. :)

Paris dLR said...

@ Anonymous: Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the story was set in Benguet province. Yeah, that's true, it's an Ifugao story. I actually compared it with another story on this site from Ifugao (Son of Wood). Thanks for the heads up. =)

geraldin said...

what does dis things symbolize?
1.the ember?
2.bonfire?
3.sounds of gangsas?
4.bean plantation?

just askin, tnx!

Anonymous said...

hi!i'm Larry can you help me about this story?because my teacher gave us a project about "the wedding dance"we will write a "Reaction Paper"about this story..i finish reading the story but i couldn't understand the story well..can you help me?i wish you can post me a reaction paper about this story..tnxx...i need this on nxt week!please help me!:((

Paris dLR said...

^ no. do your own homework.

Anonymous said...

hi everyone. :) i've been reading your comments and i find your questions amazing. i think these things would help you guys din a bit. :)


"Seven harvests" - is somehow an idiomatic expression. if you are a farmer, you probably know that there are two seasons for harvesting in a year. my professor once said that seven harvests meant almost three and a half years of marriage. you may be thinking, three and a half years is not an enough reason to remarry again, but then, we could see, that in a culture and society that of Awiyao, three years and a half serves a long time for them to have children.


"The stretching of the bean pods full length from the hearts of the wilting petals would go on."
- with regard these lines, the stretching of the bean pods symbolizes the CULTURE. and the wilting petals, would be the LOVE of Lumnay and Awiyao. taking the symbolism, the stretching of the culture will always go on...it will always mark its way, though love is at its way.


you see, if you read the whole text, this is actually a conflict between culture and the people who are part of the culture itself. from the previous lines in the story, we could see the meaning behind the "bonfire". the bonfire is the light of the law itself. the unwritten law within the culture and society where lumnay and awiyao lives. the bonfire's fire is higher than the fire that must be within lumnay's heart. the law has created a fire that surpasses even the fire that could be raging withing the people around the society. it's unbreakable, and we can see here, that even love cannot break it. they simply do not have the courage to do so because none of them has ever dared to do so.


In the story, Initially, Lumnay decided to go to the dance to make a mockery of the tribe's beliefs and traditions, but upon seeing the bonfire, she changed her mind. What did she see in it?


- this is right. Lumnay somehow got the courage to fight or to mock the tribe's beliefs and traditions imply because Lumnay sees it as something that is not right. her love for awiyao cannot just be broken simple because they have no child. that was how lumnay reacted. but seeing the bonfire, she changed her mind. why? simply because the bonfire represented a law- a law that is higher and much hotter than any feeling of outrage set within their hearts. they could not break it, because breaking it would also mean breaking their culture- their society.

Paulo said...

Guys I was looking at the posts and was really impressed on the discussion that was happening in this blog, it really helped me a lot in understanding the story much deeper. I guess we really need group discussion in order to comprehend to the deeper symbols in a certain piece of literature. It was what they were created in the first place;), so thanks again guys, and I was wowed that such a recent post was put here;)

Anonymous said...

I ask:

What sort of society does the author describe? (How is it set up? What rules are there? What happens to people who break them? Who enforces the rules?)

please help me.

Unknown said...

it is a nice story
But is there a happy ending
and why did lunmnay want to go out and dance
for how long have they waIted for a child to come?why do awiyao have to marry madulimay?
wahat is the custom of the tribe about marriage about having a child?
why did lumnaybndecidednto go out of their dance
and why did lumnay pursue her plan???

just asking:)

Anonymous said...

what happened to Lumnay? I can't understand the last part of the story...

Anonymous said...

i love that story it is a story about a love,story about filipino love ir els....
it's so so cute "I lOvE iT so muCh"

by:ALLYSA

Unknown said...

hi poh...just want to ask if there is a fruedian approach in the story the wedding dance?

Unknown said...

hi poh...just want to ask if there is a fruedian approach in the story the wedding dance?

Anonymous said...

i personally want to thank PARIS... for sharing his/her insights... it's rily a great help for me... Daghang salamat!!!

Anonymous said...

to anonymous who posted July 6, 2010 1:39 AM : GREAT! REALLY! LOVED YOUR INSIGHTS :) MADE ME SINK INTO THE STORY MORE. PLEASURE TO READ AN INTELLECTUAL COMMENT

to paris dlr :
dont be discouraged, there are still lots of people who truly appreciate a masterpiece as such, like the one i mentioned above :) hope you continue to post great stories and maybe we could just discuss our thoughts and not merely answer questions :)

guys,.this is one literary masterpiece and the only way to get to your work is to understand and appreciate it, lets give it the justice and credits it deserve

Mindanao Wholeness And Wellness said...

Hello to all. I congratulate you all for your thorough discussion about the story of Amador T Daguio, namely, The Wedding Dance (or Caniao in a local language of Mountain Province). I feel like reading the story again.

Shall participate in your discussion soon. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Hello I'm Junaid.

"Lumnay’s fingers moved a long time among the growing bean pods."
-that last sentence means NEW LIFE. started new life, she did not died.

"Seven Harvest"
-this is the time limit for a couple to have child else the have to divorce according to thier culture.

mason said...

can you please justify, ,. did Lumnay do the right thing in not stopping Awiyao's wedding? tnx,.

Anonymous said...

the story is like a brain twister... haaaaaaaixxt ang hirap ng assignment....

Anonymous said...

may i just ask,to what extentdoes awiyao embody the unwritten law of their tribe about being a "true man"?

just asking.jhinna chopchopen from mountain province.thanks

beautiful lumnay said...

hi, everyone.. am Amador T. Daguio's youngest child.. i would like to thank you, in behalf of our family, for all the interest and appreciation posted here on the greatest work of my Dad, The Wedding Dance.. i hope to be able to post here some trivia on this work as related by my Mom when i was still a student like you, studying this literary piece.. again, my sincerest thanks to all..

Paris dLR said...

@Beautiful Lumnay:

We all appreciate you coming here to post a comment. It is a beautiful piece of literature. Your father's work is one part of our culture that will never be erased. I do hope we can correspond more.

Again, thank you very much for taking the time to view this blog.

beautiful lumnay said...

Hi,Paris dLR. Thank you so much,too. I was only six when my Daddy died of cancer of the liver.(He was never a drinker nor a smoker. He just took irregular meals and too much peanuts as Mom narrated). There is such a longing in my heart for him and somehow his works serve as a connection. It warms my heart to know there are people like you who appreciate his works, somehow keeping him alive. again, thank you. Yes, till next posting.

beautiful lumnay said...

Hi, Paris dLR. Thank you so much,too. I was only six when my Daddy died of cancer of the liver.(He was never a drinker nor a smoker. He just took irregular meals and too much peanuts as Mom narrated). There is such a longing in my heart for him and somehow his works serve as a connection. It warms my heart to know there are people like you who appreciate his works, somehow keeping him alive. Again, thank you. Yes, till next posting.

Paris dLR said...

@Beautiful Lumnay: Would you mind if I created a separate post on your father? I think that would be better than adding to the comments on this thread. If you'd rather keep it here, I'm okay with that, as well. =)

beautiful lumnay said...

Hi, Paris dLR.. Whatever you think is better.. Am open to options.. Am really quite new in this thing -- blogs or whatever it's called.. Still makin' myself computer literate.. :)
Meanwhile, am preparing some anecdotes about my Dad which I would gladly share to those who might be interested.. Thanks again..

Jorie said...

hi..i would just like to share my interpretation about this wonderful short story. Awiyao married another woman from their tribe because after a long time being married with Lumnay, Lumnay didn't get the chance to bear a child. I think the last sentence in the story implies that maybe it's not that Lumnay cannot conceived. growing bean pods symbolize LIFE.

for me the theme would be "Culture conflicts with Love"

Anonymous said...

I am from Lubuagan, Kalinga, the setting of the story “Wedding Dance”. This is not in Ifugao, nor Benguet.

Anonymous said...

can you please tell me what is the introduction about this story?

tsukimoy said...

do you have a summary of this story cause i will pass this for my project in english.. they say that this is a short story. when i started reading it, it is very long.. i just want to have a summary of this story.. thanks!

Anonymous said...

Please check this link about "Wedding Dance":

http://articlewriterproofreader.blogspot.com/2011/05/short-story-analysis-wedding-dance-by.html

Anonymous said...

ANO BA NAMAN KAYO?!
assignment niyo to. bakit pinapagawa niyo sa iba. how will you learn to analyze, summarize, reflect, and extract meaning from the story if you depend on others to do the dirty work for you. PAANO KAYO MATUTUTO NIYAN?? iba yung pagididscuss on how the story goes sa paghingi ng summary at reaction paper sa mga tao dito. nagrereklamo pa kayo na mahaba. eh di wag niyo basahin.
nakakainit kayo ng ulo. can you not see how beautiful the story is?!?

the first time i read this was when i was in 6th grade while browsing thru Philippine lit books. i must say, i fell in love with the story at once.
this was also the first assignment my professor at UP gave me when i was in my freshman year. my love for it hasn't changed one bit. try to delve deeper guys. do not limit yourself only to the surface of what the story is about.

cyborg said...

what a nice story even if i didnt understand some lines of it.
this is also our assignment and pls. tell me what is the point of this story.

thanks

cyborg said...

ang hirap kasing intindihin
ehh

Anonymous said...

what a very nyc story....talagang mapupulotan ng aral

luckycharm92 said...

hi paris, can you give me some ideas on what the sequel of this story might be? Thank you.

Anonymous said...

hi paris, can you give me some ideas on what the sequel of this story might be? Thank you.

jhel said...

the story is very beautiful, no happy ever ending thing and most especially it leaves you wondering what could happen next between the two couples.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if I should laugh or I should be irritated by the fact that most of the people who comment here are so reliant on you Paris dLR. I don't think they are aware that they also have what we usually call brains. Hahaha. :))
~Chie, Literature major

Anonymous said...

Hi .. I didn't read the whole story but I know it is beautiful. Amador Daguio is one of the Best Filipino Author. Can u describe the strength and weaknesses of Awiyao and Lumnay ? Relate to real life experience the incident that happens in the narrative. Thanks much.

-jheaia :)

Anonymous said...

is beautiful Lumnay the daughter of Mr. Amador? It this her real name?

Lumnay in the story was named after his daughter?

Thank you for the respond! :)


Anonymous said...

it was nice and unique for me i never encountered this kind of short story...well, i don't like to read any kind of story or novel because for me its boring ): i'd rather choose to watch movies... anyway it helps me a lot with my Philippine literature.

Anonymous said...

it was nice and unique for me i never encountered this kind of short story...well, i don't like to read any kind of story or novel because for me its boring ): i'd rather choose to watch movies... anyway it helps me a lot with my Philippine literature.

Anonymous said...

What lesson can you learn from the story? PLEASE!

spectator said...

hi Paris.. i was working on my essay about this short story when i found your post. the discussion helps a lot.

thanks a ton ^^

Unknown said...

@beautiful lumnay

Ma'am, I am JOAN R. TACUD of Vigan City and am studying Cultural Education through a scholarship program of the NCCA. I also am working on my thesis, 'Analysis on the Short Stories by AMADOR T. DAGUIO", in a different course(MAT-Eng).

I need an interview with anyone in your father's family for a bibliographical study.

Can I reach you through email, phone, or facebook?

If you are in doubt of personality, please check my facebook account- Joan Riberal Tacud (joan8_melodies@yahoo.com.

I hope you can help me on this. Thank you and God bless.

Unknown said...

@beautiful lumnay

Ma'am, please feel free to contact me through my cp number- 09158870861.

Thank you.

Unknown said...

This blog has helped me a lot. Thank you everybody for sharing your knowledge especially to the blogger, Paris dLR.

midz8 said...

Hi.what is the strength and weakness of the couple?

Joan said...

The wedding dance by Amador Daguio

I . How successful was Amador Daguio in coming up with authentic characters and their culture in the story? Is there any functional conflict in the story related to a particular belief in the Cordillera?

2. How do the beans, the beads, and the spear contribute to the story? What do they represent in the life of the couple as well as the tribe?

3. Comment in-depth on the nature of the nature of the relationship between Awiyao and Lumnay as "temporary couple. l' As member of the tribe, they must have a child to seal their marriage; otherwise, both of them will go back to the 'wedding dance' to find another mate. Is this sensible? How did Lumnay and Awiyao accept their fate?

4. From your own point of view, describe the pain of losing your love one. Would you feel the same way Lumnay felt when Awiyao asked for a second chance?

5.Justify the final sentence of the story: "Lumnay's fingers moved a long, long time among the growing bean pods."

Arvietahup the most popular man in my house said...

Initially, Lumnay decided to go to the dance and make a mockery of the tribe’s beliefs and traditions but upon seeing the bonfire, she changed her mind. What did she see in it?