
The Sibon is a traditional agricultural ritual of the Kalanguya of Ifugao. It is performed about three weeks after rice seedlings have been transplanted.
Two hens are traditionally sacrificed, and their wing feathers are placed inside two reeds. The reeds are then planted at the entrance of the rice field.
They serve as a reminder to the aamod, or ancestral spirits, that an offering has been made. The ritual was also intended to protect the growing rice from worms, rats, and other infestations.
It shows how agricultural protection, ancestral beliefs, and physical markers could be combined in one farming tradition.
© UNESCO-ICHCAP