It is often said that if you want to marry someone from Batangas, you need to start raising a drove of pigs that will be given as gifts (locally called sabit) to principal sponsors and will feed a whole community during the wedding reception (locally referred to as baysanan). In this study, we attempt to unravel how cultural practices related to marriage are lexically codified in a community in Batangas, a provice south of Manila in the Philippines. We were able to observe two practices of gawaan ng magaling—one in October 2021 and another in January 2023, both conducted in San Nicolas, one of the towns surrounding Taal Lake in the Tagalog-speaking province. In addition to this, we employed key informant interviews with three elders of the community, who were directly involved in the preparation and conduct of the practice, as well as with the two couples for which each gawaan ng magaling was held. We present several key concepts relating to wedding and marriage embodied by the following terms: (a) gawaan ng magaling '(lit.) doing something good,' (b) sabit '(lit.) hanging something,' (c) baysanan 'forming the relationship between the parents of the married couple,' (d) sabugan (lit. exploding, bursting and scattering,' and (e) lipatan '(lit.) transferring places.' Although these terms are widely used in generic contexts in the larger Tagalog-speaking communities, nevertheless, these terms carry specialized meanings that describe a particular cultural context: (a) 'dialogue between the two families to negotiate the terms of the wedding,' (b) gift(s) given to principal wedding sponsors,' (c) 'wedding reception or party,' (d) 'announcement of monetary gifts given to the newlyweds,' and (e) 'transferring of the bride to the residence of the groom's family.' The terms presented and the surrounding concepts reflect notable insights on how people organize themselves within the community. The practices highlighted the prevailing importance of affinal kinships formed. The sabitan and sabugan also show examples of reciprocity among members of the community, an overarching concepts that might also underpin other cultural practices within and outside San Nicolas, which may be explored in further studies.

Co-presenter: Madilene B. Landicho