Tapos {An After-burial Ritual}

We went up to the old home of my grandparents last Thursday. I missed the whole day work but it was just right because am the representative of my family since my mom can't go. It was the 9th day from the day of the burial of my aunt and they had this ritual of "tapos." I was so curious about it that i decided to go. The pictures will tell all. :-)

-- one of the steepest climb that we have to get off from the motorcycle. --

-- the last time i walked on this trail was 25 or more years ago. that's more than 2 decades already --


-- the home of the aunt that died. she's a widow so she stays alone in that house. she died at the stream and not found out until she decayed and smelled so bad. It's the bad smell that led to a cousin to find the source of the smell and they found it was her. She was discovered she was lost almost a week already. --


--that's full of rice. and while they waited for that to cook, some women were busy preparing for the meat dish they gonna cook after that. --


--that's halang-halang cooked in big keetle coz we don't have the pan. hehehe --


--main part of the ritual. food being served to the one who died.--


--the brother of the dead, talking to her sister (the one who died) --

--foods served in this bani ng saging (or inner skin of the banana plant)--