Abstract:

Weddings are status events wherein notions and decisions about their proper conduct and procedure are also expressions of identity. This paper examines data from barangays on the east side of Samal Island composed of Sinamal-speaking natives and Visayan migrants who have intermarried and interacted over at least two generations. 'Bisaya' (i.e. 'modern' or 'national' culture) can be said to be dominant or mainstream today, and ideally, contemporary weddings are Christian ceremonies and legally recognized by the government. With the enactment of the New Revised Family Code in 1987 that raised the minimum age of marriage to 18, a recent institution of "temporary" Samal marriage for individuals who are underage has emerged in these barangays. These are formal agreements among the parents, witnessed by local officials of the barangay or by Samal elders, for their children to marry legally when they reach 18 years of age. Called "bongkog", which literally means 'knocking two heads together', a rite that was part of the traditional Samal wedding ceremony, these reveal an evolving local culture that still identiftes with and therefore draws on memories of indigenous Samal traditions--while simultaneously identifying with the nation--to deal with these new circumstances.

Hathi Trust