THE

WEDDING
DANCE
AMADOR TAGUINOD DAGUIO
(JAN. 08, 1912- APRIL 26, 1966)
AGE: 54
Every parting is a
form of death, as
every reunion is a
type of heaven." -
Tryon Edwards
SYNOPSIS

"The Wedding Dance" by Amador

Daguio is a short story about a
husband and wife, Awiyao and
Lumnay, who had been married
for seven years. In spite of being in
love with his wife, Awiyao feels the
need to marry again in order to
have a son.
SYNOPSIS:
At his second marriage celebration,
Awiyao goes to check on Lumnay,
knowing she is upset. Awiyao thought the
answer to Lumnay's sorrow would be to
have her join the other women during the
wedding dance. Lumnay was in fact at his
wedding, but left. She could not stand the
idea of her husband marrying another
woman because she could not give him
children.
RELATIONSHIP OF THE STORY
TO THE AUTHOR
He and his wife, Estela, endured 10 years without
a child but finally did have one.
Feelings played a big part in his writings.
The ending of Wedding Dance have envisioned
what Lumnay's future would have been.
The author does not state things exactly but uses
descriptive words to imply the same meaning.
("they say that from the bamboo we had our first
birth“)
What makes “Wedding Dance” a
classic?

It begs an answer to the

question: “What eventually
happened to Lumnay?”
 It leaves a lot of clues
with the words that the
author used.
ON FAMILY AND TRADITION
Pre-arranged marriage and
divorce due to childlessness
were observed by various
Cordillera tribes in the past,
until "education" and
"religion" began to
obliterate these practices.
FACTS AND TRIVIA ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Born on 8 January 1912 in Laoag, Ilocos
Norte, but grew up in Lubuagan,
Mountain Province.
A class valedictorian in 1924 at the
Lubuagan Elementary School.
When he was in high school, he moved
to Pasig to attend Rizal High School.
Too poor to afford his college tuition and
did not enroll in the first semester of 1928.
Failed to qualify for a scholarship.
FACTS AND TRIVIA ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 Worked as a houseboy, waiter, and caddy at Fort
McKinley to earn his tuition.
 Later enrolled at the University of the Philippines on
the second semester.
 Mentored in writing by Tom Inglis Moore, an
Australian professor.
 In 1932, he graduated from UP as one of the top
ten honor graduates.
 After World War II, he went to Stanford University to
study his masters in English which he obtained at
1952.
 It was at Stanford when he wrote Wedding Dance.
(1953)
FACTS AND TRIVIA ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In 1954, he obtained his Law degree from
Romualdez Law College in Leyte.
After he graduated from UP, he returned to
Lubuagan to teach at his former alma mater.
He then taught at Zamboanga Normal
School in 1938 where he met his wife Estela.
He was the chief editor for the Philippine
House of Representatives.
He also taught at the University of the East,
University of the Philippines, and Philippine
Women's University for 26 years.
He died in 1966 from liver cancer at the age
of 54.
ON HIS WIFE:

“Lumnay”, he said tenderly.

“Lumnay. If I did this it is
because of my need for a
child. You know that life is not
worth living without a child. The
men have mocked me behind
my back. You know that.
-Awiyao to Lumnay
ON HIS DEATH:

To you O' Death laurelled by the sun's fire;

To you whose dark face is forgetfulness;
To you whose grim, dread presences,
make still the lips of loveliness;
To you, swift, unfathomable,
To you wholly unsurpassed and pale,

I'll someday give my youth to die, under a

shining April sky.
-HYMN TO DEATH (AMADOR DAGUIO)
THE DAGUIO FAMILY; CIRCA 1955
AMADOR T. DAGUIO
Amador T. Daguio and Estela Fermin Daguio with their 4 children from eldest
Daniel, Jenny, Francis and youngest Malinda.
“Just being a woman is God’s
gift. The origin of a child is a
mother, a woman. She shows
a man what sharing, caring,
and loving is all about. That is
the essence of a woman.”

Sushmita Sen; Miss Universe

1994