The Courtship and Mariage Practices of the Agia People at Catsilyan, San Dionisio I, Maddela, Quirino

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Various courtship and marriage practices are very evident among all nationalities around the globe. Their identities, customs, traditions, and cultures are revealed through their practices on courtship and marriage. Nowadays, these practices bridged up the gap between and among races or ethnicity in terms of their differences. And most likely it helps us to understand the totality of an individual when on courtship and marriage stage.

METHODS

Using ethnographic approach under ethnography as a type of a qualitative research was the method used. Focus group discussion, observation and interview was conducted with eight households who participated and willingly gave views and concepts on their courtship and marriage practices of the Agta people at Casilayan San Dionisio I, Maddela Quirino.

RESULTS

With our interview to those elders in Catsiiyan, as well as to those heads of the family with their wives, it has been told that "matchmaking" or the so-called "parental love" is the old trend of having a wife or a husband. Parents are the one to choose and decide who ever will be the husband and the wife to be of the k child. Before their marriage, the man will offer and do some household chores at the woman's house for a couple of months. After which, he then asks the hands of the woman for their marriage in exchange of ten butchered pigs and ten sacks of rice flour. But today, they are not practicing anymore this old means of courting and marrying. They already adapted the modern way of courting the woman of their interest and after which, marrying the woman they truly loved. They acculturated themselves with the modern trends, means, and ways of courting and marrying. That, if a man finds a woman of his dreams, he then starts courting her by asking first permission to the woman's parents. Then, followed by constant or multiple visits in their house. And if they found that they truly loved each other, planning for their marriage is the next step. The man is not obliged to render services to his fiancé’s house. Furthermore, he is not also obliged to give anything in exchange for his wife to be.

DISCUSSIONS

The results show that the Agta people at Catsilyan, San Dionisio I, Maddel4 Quirino don't follow anymore the holistic way of courting and marrying a woman based on their customs and traditions before, instead, they follow the trend today in the society wherein a man or a woman is free to see and fall in love whoever his or her heart desires.