20/08/2025
✨ Watwat: From Tradition to the Marketplace ✨
In the Cordillera, watwat is more than just food. It is a tradition of sharing—fresh meat given freely to relatives, friends, and neighbors during weddings, rituals, and community feasts. To receive watwat is to be part of a circle of kinship, generosity, and respect.
But times are changing. What was once a gift of culture is now also found in the marketplace. Today, watwat is sold in packs, served in restaurants, or offered as a delicacy for tourists. This shift brings opportunity: it provides livelihood for locals, helps preserve indigenous cooking methods, and introduces Cordilleran flavors to the wider world.
Yet, commercialization also raises questions. When watwat is sold, does it lose the deeper meaning of sharing and generosity? Can a cultural symbol survive when it becomes a product?
The truth is, watwat now carries two faces—
✅ As a tradition, it remains a symbol of unity.
✅ As a commodity, it becomes a source of income and cultural pride.
The challenge is to keep the balance: to respect the roots of watwat while embracing the evolving ways it sustains communities today.
Basta.. Watwat ladta ✌️
