Customs and Culture of Ivisan Capiz

Customs/ Culture

Courtship

          The old ones would cherish the precious moments of courtship during their time. A man would bring with him his guitar and try to get the lady’s attention at night by a “harana” or singing the love songs. The lady would then invite the man inside the house. A man courted the lady (usually took a lot of time) and got the consent of the parents of the girl and the wedding proposals follow. The man had to render service to the parents of the girl called “pangagad” like tilling the fields, pounding rice, fetching water, gather firewood or building a new house. In the late 1970’s, these practices started to fade as influenced by modern culture.

Pregnancy and Birth

          Ivisanons, like other Filipinos, are basically superstitious. A pregnant would never attempt to see an eclipse for fear that the baby would be deformed. A man should always see to it that his wife wanted to eat during conception should be give even if it is not the season for the bearing of the fruit she liked, otherwise the baby will not come into being. On the other hand, the fruit of the tree she conceived with, will become sour or tree, the tree will die.

          Most deliveries were assisted by “hilots”, the unlettered obstetrician. Usually the father assisted the hilot. After the birth, the child was brought and turned around the stove so that he will be free from the ailment. The umbilical chord was cut by a “tagkis”, a thin sharp edged skin of bamboo. Presently, almost all of these hilots were already trained and recognized by the government.