Gol-gol Tradition
Channel: byaherong wais
Date: 2022-02-28

Golgol - this cleaning ceremony is regarded a live Ilocanos custom that has persisted to the present day, a tawid (inheritance from our forefathers and transferred from generation to generation). This ceremony is frequently performed in the instances listed below, and it can be performed in a variety of ways depending on the circumstances.




Following the interment of departed loved ones,

Golgol is traditionally performed the morning after a loved one has been buried. The ceremony is performed by the immediate family members in a local river or by the seaside. For the ceremony, arutang (rice stalk), sugarcane vinegar, gawwed (betel nut), and pinadis (small rolled Virginia tobacco) are made. After the family members have burned the arutang, the manglualo (prayer warrior) performs the ceremony by pouring vinegared water over each family member's head. During the ritual, the gawwed and pinadis will be offered.


The ritual takes place at a section of the river that is shallow. The members of the family are told to take off their clothes and toss them into the river, allowing the current to carry them away.



Following that, each family member must collect pebbles to transport home. They should not look back from whence they came on their way home. They must also take a different route than they did to get to the river or the beach.


When the family members return home, they must hurl the pebbles above their house's roof to keep the ghosts of their loved ones from haunting them. The golgol rite is thought to aid in driving away the ghost of a deceased relative and bringing the deceased directly to heaven.



The act of cleansing also symbolizes the washing away of grief and bad luck that death may bring to the family.