Daw-es

Daw-es is a vital ritual in Sagada. It is usually performed during the begnas (a significant ritual involving the agricultural phases) to accentuate its effectiveness to counter misfortunes and ward of illnesses. A family usually requests this ritual to be performed, hoping that any sign of illness or bad luck will disappear. This cleansing ritual is not open to the public and women can not be a part of it; only the elders of Sagada can participate. The prayers are an essential part of the ritual, sung and recited in such haunting renditions that you feel inexplicably and inevitably pulled into the ritual itself.