The Wedding Dance
Amador Daguio
The story is set in the mountains of northern Philippines, in a traditional community unspoiled by outside influence. The story
may have happened before or after the Second World War, one summer night before harvest time.
Awiyao is a strong, muscular, industrious member of the tribe. He’d been married to Lumnay for seven years yet without
children. He loves Lumnay and was a good husband to her, but he is forced to take another wife as the laws of their society
dictate. Lumnay is a tough, graceful woman who is also an industrious worker. She was a loving wife to Awiyao, but after the
failure to give him an offspring, she has to suffer separation from the love of her life. Madulimay is the woman chosen to be
Awiyao’s new wife. She holds the promise of the continuity of Awiyao’s lineage. So here, we have a forced love triangle.
On the night of the festivities for his second wedding, Awiyao visits his first wife Lumnay in the house he built for her. Awiyao is
worried that Lumnay is not among the wedding dancers. He invites her to the dance, but she remains still. He apologizes to
her and explains why the situation between them had to be this way. It is clear that they understood each other. They do
not point fingers nor judge one another.
Awiyao expresses his admiration and love for his wife and his regret for giving in to the pressure of producing an offspring. He
encourages Lumnay to accept another husband. Lumnay, however, is adamant and stands her ground — she will love only
one man. Awiyao promises to come back to her if he fails again for the second time, but Lumnay wishes him and his new
wife only blessings from Kabunyan. She admits to him how difficult the situation is for her.
When Awiyao is called back to the dance, he pauses as if to think over his decision. Lumnay accepts his invitation to the
dance and plucks up her courage to face her tribe, the joys of the past and the pains memories keep bringing her. But
then, Lumnay stops to reflect on her fate questioning why they had to separate and plans to air her dissension to the tribe.
However, she changes her mind and runs away from the ceremony toward the bean fields where she lingers for a long
while to be with the beans, the produce she is able to breed.