The Tagbanwa’s Unique Wedding Ceremony The Tagbanwas are considered to be the original natives of Palawan, one of the southernmost islands in the Philippines where the edible nido’s nest come from and where the now famous Tabon caves are located. The patent elaborateness of their wedding celebrations owes to its feature of pageantry. Termed alabarka (from the Spanish and Calamian cockney which means “ship-wise”), it depicts “a veritable invasion from the sea.” It somehow commemorates their early pirate days when their wedlocks were forced and involuntary. The braves from the other islands, using a small sailing fleet known as balangay, would just swoop down upon their helpless island and covet their marriageable women. This aspect has been adopted in their traditions to give color, romance and pageantry to their wedding rites.
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Source:
Anima, N. 1975. Courtship and Marriage Practices among Philippine Tribes. La Loma: Omar.
