BENEDICT, BAGOBO CEBEMONIAL, MAGIC AM) MYTH 95 



rice, though his own, in 1907, was held three days before the 

 expected sprouting-. I myself attended one Ginum in May (bubal's 

 Ginum), another in August, and I knew of another, at Bansalan, 

 that was given in September. As a matter of fact, any one of the 

 following times is permissible for the celebration: in January, 181 

 about the time of the clearing of the fields, or soon after ; one month 

 after the sowing; a few days before the sprouting; soon after the 

 sprouting, or when the rice plants have grown to some height. 



The above dates indicate a range of months from January to 

 September, inclusive, and possibly even through October, when this 

 festival may properly be held. The rice is ordinarily sown in the 

 months April , May and June, and harvested in November or 

 December according to the date of planting. The Ginum must be 

 held during the bright fortnight of the moon, preferably when 

 she is new in the west, or full in the east, or at the close of her 

 first quarter. 



While any man of wealth who is able to give the ceremonial 

 and to provide entertainment for the guests is at liberty to do so , 

 yet the Ginum is most often conducted in the home village of a 

 head datu who presides over a group of rancherias. A Ginum 

 would not occur in the same village oftener than once a year, or 

 biennially ; but at one or another place in the Bagobo territory 

 there is likely to be a Ginum every few months. If the chieftain 

 has a large house, ,82 the festival would probably be given there; 

 but on this point I have not definite information. This was the 

 ancient Filipino usage. The regular Bagobo custom is to build a 



181 I was told that the Ginum was often held in January, and this answers, exactly, 

 to the time mentioned by Datu Tonkaling to Mr. Cole — "when there is plenty of 

 rice in the granaries." Op. ciL, p. 111. For the ceremonial at the season of clearing 

 the fields, see account by the same writer, pp. 85 — 8G. See also Miguel de Loarca : 



■Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas." Blair and Robertson: op. ciL, vol. 5, p. 165. 1903. 

 This author so characterizes a Visayan ceremonial that it appears to correspond to that 

 of the Bagobo at clearing time. The Visayans, he says, "set apart seven days when 

 they begin to till their fields, at which time they neither grind any rice for their food, 

 nor do they allow any stranger, during all that time, to enter their villages, for they 

 say that that is the time when they pray to their gods to grant them an abundant 

 harvest." When the Ginum is held in January, the clearing rites would apparently 

 precede it by a brief interval. 



182 For the great four days of the Tagal festival, they used the large house of their 

 chief, dividing it into three compartments; and during those four days the house was 

 called a simbahan (temple). Of. Juan de Plasencia, O.H.F.: "Customs of the Tagalogs, 

 1589." Blair and Robertson : op. cit., vol. 7, pp. 185—186. 1903. 



