Rita-Rita

I was able to gather bits and pieces of information on the mystery of Rita-Rita. Uncle Tony patiently relayed to me what he could remember about this practise.
Apparently, a group of men would go around the Ili to play some music with the purpose of waking up the townsfolk so they can hear the early dawn mass or simbang gabi. The likes of Tiyo Fortun & Tiyo Pasik-kil have their instruments of trombone and trumpet playing simple marching music to entice the barrio to go to mass.
Uncle Tony, Papa's brother, was kind enough to loan me a few bars of the marching music - tatan-tatan-tatan.
Tiyo Fortun is Tiyo Fortunato while Tiyo Pasik-kil has another name. Pasik-kil was his panayod or nickname. He was an embalmer by profession so his main job was pasik-killen dagiti natay ( passik-kil in ilocano meant to stiffen up - so his job was to "stiffen" the dead by embalming them). Agno joke - I tell you.
Anyway, Uncle Tony related that after the short libot of the musikeros, which was the Rita-Rita, they stopped at somebody's house whoever was assigned for the day, to have some early morning breakfast. Nakasagana itti kape ken tinapay nga kanen da.

Just like the Es El Fruto I told you about during the month of May, the Rita-Rita was another practise deep into he tradition of the townsfolk of Agno.

I remembered Papa who kept telling us about the Rita-Rita as the Simbang Gabi starts. I don't have him now to re-live this wonderful event. I have Uncle Tony though. Crude as my recollection might be -
at least we all have a glimpse of how the Rita-Rita was.