LOOK: The ‘Atang’ As An Ilocano Ritual of Remembrance

With All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day nearing, many Filipinos are preparing for a trip to their hometowns to visit their loved ones who have passed on. For many Filipinos, death is not the end when it comes to relating with their relatives and loved ones. And the Ilocanos, the third largest ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines are no exception. Through the elaborate ritual of the “atang,” Ilocanos have their own unique way of honoring their dead.

The Ilocano Ritual of “Atang”

In general, the atang is known as a food offering that is intended to drive away evil and malevolent spirits. It plays an important role in Ilocano culture, as Ilocanos generally believe that there are spirits who live among us, either of the dead or of other worlds who need to be appeased whenever they are disturbed or offended.

The “Atang” in Ilocano Burial Practice

During the wake, prior to the burial and after it, a series of food offerings need to be done by the family of the deceased. According to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, the first such food offering is done on the first day of the wake, where a bunch of unripe bananas or saba and a chicken is cooked over a mini bonfire called an “atong.” If the deceased is male, a rooster must be cooked; if female, then it should be a hen. Before these cooked fruit and chicken can be consumed, people must first strike the atong with these food to prevent spirits from being attracted by their smells.

On the day of the burial, in the early morning, another food offering must be prepared. This time, the family must slaughter a native pig and small pieces of its heart, liver, pancreas, lungs, stomach as well as pieces of meat and fat are half-cooked and skewered on a stick. The stick must be placed in a specific spot in the house such as the wall of the kitchen or an outside wall of the house which is shaded. This offering however is not offered to the family to eat but may be buried or given only to the men who slaughtered the pig.

The most elaborate of the “atang” comes the afternoon after the burial. In this atang, most of the food is made of native glutinous rice flour which is used to prepare sweet delicacies. According to ICHCAP, the ones who prepare these are the women relatives of the deceased only, with the help of female neighbors. Once prepared, these delicacies are arranged on the deceased’s bed which is usually brought to the living room of the house. There is also an intricate ritual of laying a cross-shaped layer of rice and five raw whole eggs before arranging the plates of rice cakes. This last type of food offering needs to be done again, according to tradition, on the 30th day after the death and on the first year death anniversary.