| Dance | Alap Gala |
| Meaning | Offering |
| Dance Culture | Lowland Christians |
| Place of Origin | Albuquerque , Bohol |
| Ethnolinguistic Group | Boholano |
| Classification | Wedding |
| Background / Content | As a social gathering, a wedding is not merely a reason for indulging in good food and merriment. It is also an opportunity to establish kinship, exercise influence and authority, flaunt one’s economic status or simply used as the occasion to excuse oneself from the drudgery of everyday life. The town of Albuquerque, Bohol exemplifies the way an average Filipino family celebrates a wedding Thus: Several days before the wedding day, the “taglalaki” (groom’s family members ) bring cooking utensils and paraphernalia, food to be prepared, drinks and the manpower to execute the task of preparing the feast which is to be held at the bride’s house. It is a very well organized endeavor with key people overseeing activities most of which involve food preparation, table setting, kitchen trafficking, serving, and ultimately, the cleaning up. While all these activities take place in around the household and the yard, there is a general sense of gaiety in the air. An abundance of alcohol and an electric atmosphere punctuated with jokes, teasing and the subsequent howls of laughter combined with a blaring brass band or a 20 piece rondalla playing somewhere in the yards adds to the pandemonium of the occasion. With the final guest served , the last morsel of food swept off the table, and the furniture moved to the sides, the best part of the wedding celebration commences, the GALA. |