Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

6:25 AM - ,,, No comments

Valentine's All Over the World


Valentine’s Day, as we all know is a celebration of love and romance. However, not only in the Philippines is Valentine’s celebrated. Different countries all over the world commemorate it in different ways depending on their culture.


In Japan, it is only the women who give presents (mainly chocolates) to men; Japanese women are usually too shy to express their love. Therefore, Valentine's Day was thought to be a great opportunity to let women express their feelings. It also a custom that smart chocolate companies spread to boost their sales and it has been very successful. Now, the chocolate companies in Japan sell more than half of their annual sales during the week before Valentine's Day. 


In Korea, couples wear same shirts or known as the “couple shirt” in Valentine’s Day to show how much they love each other. In the United States, Valentine’s Day is mainly a day catered to females. Men are responsible for planning dates, getting flowers, getting the right gift, etc.


People in South Africa totally indulge themselves in the African culture and art to celebrate the occasion of Valentine. Be it an old man of 60 or a young lass of 16, the joy of celebrating love is same in everybody. South Africans as well as tourists attend huge balls where they match their dancing steps and flow in the Valentine mood with different alcoholic beverages. 


Africans also like to visit wildlife parks and sanctuaries with their friends and families. Many other events like river rafting, mountaineering amidst the exotic islands are main attraction of the day. Luxurious resorts give the most enthralling view and rated as one of the best place to spend a romantic evening.

Here in the Philippines, what makes Valentines more fun?

5. Speed-dating and blind dates. Blind dates originated in. Basically, blind date is about two people who never met each other but go on together in a date. Well, it might be a little scary and risky, but this is still something you will enjoy especially when you're single.


4. Promos for couples. These are popular in the Philippines. Famous indeed, that as soon as January 31, you can already see different posters and advertisement about joining a contest that will make your Valentine celebration incredibly and romantically memorable. If you think you have the best love story then you can join these contests. You might win and have the most exciting and special date this Valentines.



3. Kasalang-bayan. Actually, these are more popular in June, but there are some government and non-government agencies who conduct these events meant for financially-challenged couples. This wedding expo lets the public to witness a number of partners exchanged "I do's".


2. Concerts and Movies. Every Valentine's, celebrities and artists would really prepare something that their couple fans would enjoy. Pre-valentine concerts are set where couples can enjoy their date while watching the show. Movie watching is one of the traditional thing whenever a couple dates so movie producers give them a treat as they offer a wonderful love story for their supporters to enjoy.


1. Pick-up lines. "Siguro dati kang ex-convict, kasi pinasok mo na nga ang utak ko, ninakaw mo pa ang puso ko." Cheesy. Pick-up lines have long been introduced in the Philippines. However, it just became popular because of Boy Pick-Up from GMA's longest running gag show, Bubble Gang. Though, pick up lines were not really funny, “the ka-corny-han” of it makes it more acceptable and sweet. I'm just wondering how a girl would react after she was given a pick-up line by his suitor.


0. Flowers and chocolates. How will you know that Valentine’s is arriving? It's when bouquets of flowers and boxes of chocolates were seen everywhere. They say Valentine's is not completely felt once you haven't received any of these two. Well, good thing I've bought one for myself.


Now that's something interesting about Philippine Valentine’s Day. It's not really different from other countries but it is something people would really enjoy. 

5:51 AM - ,, No comments

Do couples need to celebrate Valentine's Day?



"Ang Valentine's Day ang panahon ng pagbibigay ng walang kwentang mga regalo pero sweet." A junior jock was saying on a radio when I opened it last night. True enough, from flowers to chocolates, these usual gifts given every Valentines won't last. Flowers would soon dried up and chocolates would soon be flushed. And so why celebrate?

Celebrating Valentine's Day has been a usual act for couples. It is a special time for them to show their love for each other. For some, Valentine's Day means another year of love to celebrate. Girls would always look ahead to this special event and want it to be sweeter, memorable and special. However, there are people (mostly guys) who don’t look at this as something that should be celebrated. For them, you can always show your love anytime and any season. Celebration is not a must, however most people find it sweet and romantic to celebrate on that day. For me, celebration is not really needed but of course, being a woman, I can’t say that I don’t want to celebrate important occasions like that. As what they say, only once a year Valentines arrive.

Well, the origins of Valentine's Day trace back to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. Held on February 15, Lupercalia honored the gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. In addition to a bountiful feast, Lupercalia festivities are alleged to have included the pairing of young women and men. Men would draw women's names from a box, and each couple would be paired until next year's celebration.

While this pairing of couples set the tone for today's holiday, it wasn't called "Valentine's Day" until a priest named Valentine came along. Valentine, a romantic at heart, disobeyed Emperor Claudius II's verdict that soldiers remain bachelors. Claudius handed down this decree believing that soldiers would be distracted and unable to concentrate on fighting if they were married or engaged. Valentine defied the emperor and secretly performed marriage ceremonies. As a result of his defiance, Valentine was put to death on February 14.

After Valentine's death, he was named a saint. As Christianity spread through Rome, the priests moved Lupercalia from February 15 to February 14 and renamed it St. Valentine's Day to honor Saint Valentine. Since then, February 14 has been given to couples and people who are in a special relationship.

After reading the romantic and sacrificial story of Valentine, indeed, sweetness is famous every Valentine's Day. You can do simple things and yet, sweet. You can give little effort and yet, made someone feel special. You don't need to buy an expensive jewelry or date your partner in a fine dining restaurant. Because at the end of the day, it's the memory that matters not those gifts. And you can always show to your loved ones how much they meant to you even if it’s not Valentines. Ultimately, it's neither the gifts nor the celebration that matters; it's the love you give. After all, Valentines is about love and romance. Have a happy Valentine's.


Thursday, January 19, 2012

12:37 AM - ,,, No comments

History plus Culture equals Sinulog Festival

The country’s grandest and most colorful festival had just started.

Yes, the annual celebration of Sinulog Festival in the province of Cebu has once again awed the Filipinos and foreigners who came to watch the show. Essentially, Sinulog Festival is a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.

Mainly celebrated with a grand parade where the image of Sto. Nino (child Jesus) was carried to another church; the festival is a unique representation of the Cebuanos’ devotion to the holy child. It has always been the festival’s tradition to have Sto. Nino visit his parents before the grand day, so from Basilica del Sto. Nino, it is transferred to the St. Joseph parish in Mandaue City where the image will stay for 24 hours to reunite with his foster father.

While Sinulog is a celebration of Filipinos independence to paganism, the festival also highlights the country’s most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry. Street-dancing competition was also witnessed, wherein contingents from various parts of the country compete in bright-colored costumes and dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets and native gongs.

This historic event has also become a tourist attraction as Filipinos all over the country gather to show-off their talents and culture. While tourists around the world came to experience the fun and excitement the festival has to offer. Aside from the colorful and festive dancing, there is also the Sinulog’s SME trade fair that features Cebu export quality products where people round the globe flock on the treasures that are Cebu.

Also witnessed in the celebration was Sinulog sa Kabataan mainly performed by the youths of Cebu. This event was a two part celebration which includes marathon, football cup, cultural show and concerts.

The festival will also hold a chess tournament, “Cebu Chess Festival”, tagged as the World’s Largest Chess Tournament. Aside from this, they will also conduct photo and short film/video documentary contest featuring the prosperous culture of Cebu. The festival will end with a bang as winners of the photo contest will be displayed and exhibited in SM City Cebu.

Sinulog festival is a month-long celebration of the rich culture and history of Christianity in the city. It all started when Ferdinand Magellan, after arriving in the Philippine land, gave the wooden Sto. Nino to the wife of Rajah Humabon, Cebu’s cheiftain. From then, the image of Sto. Nino became the emblem of friendship, taking and conversion to Christianity of the natives. It was later kept and housed in the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino and San Nicholas de Tolentino Church, and the rest was history.

Due to successful show and series of events the festival produces every year, the feast will certainly lasts as it continuously gain more and more attraction from all over the world. As Sinulog Festival became a hit, still the purpose of it remains: Filipinos had the chance to embrace Christianity. May we all live up to that! Viva! Pit! Senyor!

Experience this joyous, fun, loud, color-filled and one of the grandest events in the country, as it continues to bring pride to the Filipino culture. Check out the festival’s schedule now!http://sinulog.ph/index.php/schedule-of-activities-2012/

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