Patpatayan (The Holy Ground of people from Sagada)

Figure 1. This the Patpatayan(the holy ground of Sagada) which is found in Dagdag.

One of the things that makes Sagada very interesting is it has its own holy Ground where people do their rituals called begnas every year.

The place is holy that no one is allowed to desecrate and cut the trees on the area.  The first time I heard about patpatayan from my cousins,  I had no idea what was it.  They pointed the place and I saw a big tree, so, I thought the tree is the one that is sacred and is the one called patpatayan tree.  However, someone explained that the patpatayan is the place or ground and the tree is just part of that place but serving as a marker.  Since, it's part of the place, the tree is also considered holy, thus, no one is allowed to cut it.  When I went to visit the ground last year, the tree was an old pine tree with two or three more other trees standing on its side. 

For tourists who are going to Sagada this place is worth investigating.  Ask about the different kinds of Begnas performed there every year.  Here are about five begnas being performed according to my aunt and brother-in-law whom I asked.  These are the Begnas di dook or Tiagew(which is done on summer usually on March to signal the start of building houses), Begnas di babayas(to close weddings on the month of December), Begnas di latab(to close weddings on the months of April-May), Begnas di Yabyab(usually done on the month of October or November before the planting season on that time),  Begnas di Tangeb di lakat which is done after the harvest.  Every Begnas celebrated the people, headed by the elder of the dap-ay who hosted the begnas, will go to the patpatayan to butcher pig and perform rituals thanking the Anitos for the blessings the village received. 

During this celebration, no one is allowed to go to work or do anything else because it is considered a holy day. 

But how does the patpatayan looks like, and is this found only in Sagada?  Well, I thought Sagada is the only place doing the ritual, but in my place where I am living now, I was amazed to learn that the Igorots(came from Sagada) here also have their own patpatayan or holy place.  You can find this place at San Vicente, Baguio City, a neighbor of Camp 8, Puliwes.  It was instituted by Lakay Bayoya when he was alive and the ritual is still being observed by the pure igorots of the place.

How is a place chosen as a holy ground?  According to Mr.  Daluyen, who revealed to me about the presence of patpatayan here at San Vicente, the place is not just designated as a holy ground but is chosen based on signs, especially, a bird and other things the elder considered as a manifestation of holiness of the place.  He said, we were lucky that the place is located just in the neighborhood, or else it may be located miles away.

For more information about begnas I recommend the reader read Mr. Allad-iw’s post on the subject Sagada begnas: A ritual ofthanksgiving.

So, in case you're wondering what you'll see there, here are some images of patpatayan:

Figure 2.   
   


 Figure 3.
   

 Figure 4.                                                     
 

                                                   Figure 5.

 

Figures 4-5 is the patpatayan place found at San Vicente, Baguio City.