Alfonso - Cavite Destinations

Alfonso

An upland town near Tagaytay, and home of the legendary "alas-as" and "piritay". Known for the "sanghiyang" ritual, alfonso was once proclaimed as the Most Peaceful Town in Cavite.

An upland town near Tagaytay, and home of the legendary "alas-as" and "piritay". Known for the "sanghiyang" ritual, alfonso was once proclaimed as the Most Peaceful Town in Cavite.

 

Alfonso is an upland town situated at the southwestern portion of the Cavite province. It is 74 kilometers from Manila via Tagaytay City. As of 2007, it has a population of 47,973 in a land area of 70.0 square kilometers.

 

It is the home of the ritual called "Sanghiyang" and the Firewalkers known as "Barkos." The Sanghiyang is a a pre-colonial ritual combining the elements of folk religion, magic and Christian faith. It is a gesture of thanksgiving and a rite to cure the sick. Today, "sanghiyang" is held for various reasons. A sanghiyang performed to celebrate a new house is called basang gilagid, while a sanghiyang conducted to cure the sick is called lawit.


Sources:

Wikipedia

jetterr.blogspot.com

The Provincial Profile of Cavite