Kiyaw-kiyaw is a traditional peace-offering ritual from Libacao, Aklan, where food and prayers are offered to ancestors, usually for healing or to respond to signs like dreams or prolonged illness. It involves preparing specific foods, including native chicken, pinais, tikod-tikod, and tuba, which are arranged in a sacred manner on a woven tray called nigo. Only family members and the spiritual practitioner (manugbuhat) may take part in the ritual or eat the offerings, as everything involved is considered sacred. The practice has been passed down through generations since the 1920s, with practitioners learning by observing their elders. People believe the ritual can lead to recovery or peace within the family, and stories from locals support this belief. Though it is still practiced in some rural areas, the number of practitioners is slowly declining, and efforts to preserve it rely on informal teaching within families.
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Photo Credit/s:
Vega, 2024
Mappers:
Precious Angelo Zubiaga, Guia Lyn N. Zonio, Danilyn Z. Flaviano, Alayssa Kaye Vega
Tags:
ancestral food offerings, cultural heritage rituals, Filipino ancestral rites, healing prayers Philippines, healing ritual Philippines, informal ritual teaching, Kiyaw-kiyaw, Libacao Aklan rituals, manugbuhat healer, native chicken offering, pinais preparation, preserving traditional rituals, ritual food presentation, rural Filipino traditions, sacred family rituals, spiritual practices Aklan, tikod-tikod dish, traditional peace-offering ritual, tuba ritual drink, woven tray nigo
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