Transcript for:
Cañao Ceremony Traditions

  • When people see smoke from the other side of the mountain, they would say, “Let’s head there, there’s a Cañao and Watwat!" (chanting) (pig squeals) I’m Joemar Molintas Mayomis from Tublay and Tugba. We will hold a Cañao today to give thanks for the continuous blessings we’ve been receiving. Cañao is a festival or ceremony done by our ancestors. We will be doing the same today. We have two native black pigs from Nangalisan. This is a Gangsa. This is Solibao. This is the Cordilleran instrument to be used in Cañao. This is the Apay. This is where we will be butchering the sacrificial pig. These are “sabot,” we will use them as bowls later. These are firewood from Kennon Road. These are pine and mango wood. During a Cañao, everyone is invited. When people see smoke from the other side of the mountain, they would say, “Let’s head there, there’s a Cañao and Watwat! Come in, come in! Uncle Rudy! Cindy! Relatives and neighbors usually gather during a Cañao. You could feel the community spirit, everyone pitches in and comes together. Let’s just wait for the native high priest/elder so we can start the Cañao. This is my uncle, he’s the high priest. This is my Uncle Agosto. These are my cousins. Welcome, welcome. Go ahead. These guys came from the other side of the mountain! They saw the smoke earlier. When there’s smoke, there’s slabs of pork to be given away! (people conversing in the background) We'll ready some things for the people who passed away— grandmother of my wife and my dad. We'll offer this thanksgiving for them. (pig squeals) (ethnic music) (chanting) My wife took what the indigenous priest calls the “first blood” from the pig. He told her to keep it in the kitchen for good luck – for our family and our livelihood. He said it should be kept in the kitchen to signify prosperity since it is where we nourish our families. This is the pig’s bile sac. Its fullness signifies good luck for us. The high priest instructed me to hang it in the kitchen. This is for “pulpog,” an appetizer which we will be grilling for everyone. Something to go with the drinks. They will be chopping these meats, which we call “Watwat.” Nothing will go to waste because we’ll be cooking everything. Should there be left-overs, we will be salting, drying them under the sun, or smoking them to prolong the meat’s shelf-life. We will be giving away raw and cooked meats as “Watwat” for all the guests. - We will be smoking some pork here. - These are the cooked blood sausages. We’ll slice them and then we’ll all eat. - This is the story of “Watwat.” You get to bring home some slabs of pork! You can cook them however you like! When you get home after attending a Cañao, people would ask you, “Do you have some ‘watwat’ (slabs of pork)?” Wrap it up as the song goes! Thank you, Uncle. (ethnic music)