When I was young, a year seemed to take an eternity to complete. It was just like my first library card. It expired in four years, but to me at that youthful age, it felt like a lifetime. Still, here it is 2012, just a few hours before the beginning of a New Year, sitting in my sweat dampened t-shirt within this tropical sauna to jot a few lines about New Year in the Philippines.
Preparation for New Years in the Philippines is a bit different from New Years among the corn stubble of Northwest Iowa. A week ago, Diana started buying fruit. She began by bringing home apples, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Firework stands appeared overnight alongside the plaza selling an assortment of fuse ignited and gun powder laden pyrotechnics. As the annual day neared, the sound of fireworks filled the air while hoards of people came in from the mountain to buy the necessities to bring them good fortune during the witching hour. Yesterday, Diana brought from the market oranges and grapes to round out our collection of good luck along with other food fixin’s.
This morning, Diana (with the help of her children) has been cooking in preparation for the big feast. In the Philippines, there are several Filipino traditions which occur at midnight. One is the setting off of fireworks to scare away any and all evil spirits. Another is that one should carry coins in their pocket as a way to ensure prosperity for the next year. The table should be adorned with twelve fruits also as a sign of prosperity for the next twelve months. The family has a Thanksgiving Feast at midnight so that they will have plentiful food for the coming year. There are other traditions which are observed, determined by the part of the Philippines in which you reside.
In regard to my family; we had been cleaning inside and outside the house as well as around the yard all day. The throw rug was hung over the fence and beaten to within an inch of its fabric. The floor was thoroughly swept as the shoes and sandals were lined up in neat rows beneath the wooden bench. Dusting was done in each room….it is amazing the amount of dust that quickly (as well as silently) accumulates on any exposed surfaces. The laundry was washed as the many dishes were prepared on the stove or kitchen table. My task required a wire be hung over the south window and new curtain placed there. The important part of this celebration was the purchase of six – one liter bottles of Pepsi. Many will drink alcoholic beverages during this festive time while others will consume copious amounts of native coffee. In this house it is Pepsi and nothing else. For the most part, in the states, soda pop is made with corn sweeteners whereas in the Philippines, Pepsi is made with real sugar cane. There are no corn sweeteners used here, AND then they are only sold in glass bottles. The taste is truly satisfying and somewhat addictive. I had given up soda/pop in the states because the plastic or can varieties took something out of the flavor and taste. Fortunately, I rediscovered the long forgotten caffeine kick it provided and have never regretted it.
As to our midnight feast this year, we will be dining on Spaghetti, Chicken Curry, Fruit Salad and, of course, rice along with the “round fruit” which will be the centerpiece of our nocturnal meal. We will position ourselves on chairs just outside the compound gate a little after eleven p.m. and watch the beginning of the fireworks. Then after the barrage dies down sometime after midnight, the dishes will be set out and the eating will begin. I am not accustom to such a late hour, but remember as a child in Iowa when we would stay up on those frigid nights, eat pizza, watch movies, and then peak our heads out the back door to hear the many church bells tolling to bring in the New Year. It was a custom that I carried from my childhood through my children’s childhoods and now on to the Philippines where you do not have the worry of freezing to death as you watch the firework displays upon a star filled backdrop.
From my house, on the edge of the Sulu Sea, to your homes wherever that might be; may your New Year be filled with continued health, wealth, and God’s blessings.
Daryl Cleveland
12-31-2012
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