Arts and Culture of the Capiznon

We are proud to present some arts of the Capiznon. The toltog palanog, a clay flute, is the earliest musical instrument in Panay. It has three holes at one end and two at the shdes. There are several kinds of tulali or bamboo flutes, including the pasyok, a child flute made of stiff rice straw; the dios sios, a set of reeds of different lengths, tied side to side; and the budiong, a shell, with the pointed tip cut off. The tan-ag, made of two pieces of light wood, is the earliest percussion instrument. A set of these is called the dalutang, the bunkaka or takup is a section of bamboo with a split end. It is held in the right hand and struct against a pole in the left hand. Different ways of striking cause variations in rhythm. The roots of Capiznon drama are, in ritual, such as the babaylan rites for appeasing spirits and curing the sick, which include mimetic elements and chant; and second, in the verbal games played at wakes. In the rituals, sacrifices are offered, prayers chanted, and symbolic dance motions made. Religious drama and dramatizations in Western Visayas include the forms found in other regions; the soledad on Easter morning, the taltal or passion play on Good Friday; the Easter procession of the resurrection, in which a boy and a girl dressed as angels recite poems to the Christ and the Virgin; the Constantino in May, dealing with the finding of the Holy Cross; the pastores or da-igon at Christmas time, in which songs are sung by the "shepherds" worshipping the infant Christ. I hoped that this blog will be an instrument so that the rest of the world will know Capiz and the Capiznon that we have rich in culture.