﻿110 The Philippine Journal of Science 1914 



the souls of the deceased members of the society and all those 

 persons from whom the members of the society may have 

 inherited their land. 



But besides this and other Christian ceremonies, it is the 

 rule among the societies with which I am acquainted to perform 

 other rites which are not due to the teaching of the Christian 

 Church. One of these is performed at the annual feast just 

 mentioned. It consists of setting forth food and drink for 

 spirits, having in mind not only the ancestors of the members, 

 but spirits in general. I have been present several times at 

 the annual feast of irrigation societies, and once had the good 

 fortune to arrive at the scene early enough to see the offering 

 set out for the spirits and to hear the invitation extended to 

 them. The offering in this case consisted of plates of rice, of 

 two kinds, one of which was the sticky sort called diket. There 

 were also dishes of rice cooked with coconut milk (not coconut 

 water) and a little basi. These articles were set out on the 

 floor of a room in the evening and left untouched until early 

 morning. After everything was placed in order, a woman 

 went to each window of the room and invited the spirits in turn 

 in the words which I found to be, in Ilocos Norte, the commonest 

 formula of invitation to them, couched in such general terms 

 as to include not merely ancestors, but any other spirits that 

 might wish to come. These were the words : 



Come now, come now, sirs, come, come all, all, let the lame have them- 

 selves carried, let the blind be led. 7 



After this, the room was left empty till morning, when the 

 feast began. 



This offering of food and drink to spirits at the annual 

 feast is in line with the practice of irrigation societies at other 

 times. An important ditch or canal is seldom opened without 

 certain preliminary ceremonies of a propitiatory nature. Those 

 related below show the practice in the northern two-thirds of 

 the province of Ilocos Norte, where I saw more land being 

 irrigated from streams than in any other part of the Ilocano 

 provinces. Minor details may differ in various towns, but on 

 the whole I found an unexpected degree of uniformity. 



When a society has been formed for the purpose of digging 

 a canal and bringing a piece of land under irrigation, a cross 

 about a meter high is planted where the canal is to be opened. 

 Some basi is sprinkled on the ground. Now ensues a wait. 



' Umaikayon Appo, umaikayon, umaikai omtn amiv, dagiti pilai obbaciiyo, 

 dagiti buhek kibinenyo. 



