Flores de Mayo

image courtesies: www.germanlipa.de www.humanflowerproject.com

Held nationwide during the month of May. Literally meaning the "flowers of May", this fiesta commemorates the search for the Holy Cross by Reyna Elena and her son, the emperor Constantine. This Philippine wide fiesta is marked by a parade of maidens escorted by young men under floral arches. The main participant represents Reyna Elena and the emperor.
The Flowers of May festival is another month-long celebration, distinctly separate from Santakrusan. In this celebration, the Blessed Virgin - not Santa Elena - is the focus of devotion. Every afternoon in May, young people go to church to pray the rosary and offer flowers and songs to the Blessed Mother.

May 1 - Labour Day in most of the world and in Philippines

A Labour Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers.

The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. On 21 April 1856 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day with no loss of pay, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day and May Day.

Most countries celebrate Labour Day on May 1, known as May Day. In Europe the day has older significance as a rural festival which is predominantly more important than that of the Labour Day movement. The holiday has become internationalised and several countries hold multi-day celebrations including parades, shows and other patriotic and labour-oriented events.

In Germany, Labour Day was established as an official holiday in 1933 after the Nazi Party, or NSDAP, rose to power. It was supposed to symbolise the new-found unity between the state and the German people. Ironically, just one day later, on May 2, 1933, all free unions were outlawed and destroyed. But since the holiday had been celebrated by German workers for many decades before the official state endorsement, the NSDAP's attempt to appropriate it left no long-term resentment.

In Poland, Labour Day on May 1 was renamed "State Holiday" in 1990.

Further information: Holidays in Poland

In Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway, May 1 is a national holiday celebrated through widespread demonstrations by the entire worker's movement.

In Italy, May 1 is national holiday, demonstrations of the trade unions are widespread. Since the '90s, the trade unions organise a massive free concert in Rome, with attendances topping a million people.

Isaw - Grilled chicken intestine.Yum!

Once every so often, my daughters crave for street food like isaw. I find isaw, disgusting to eat. It’s funny but I don’t mind eating diniguan (Black “chocolate” dish or chocolate meat). Anyway, I gave in to the girl’s monthly binge. Their favorite road side stand is in front of Ilang-Ilang Residence Hall at the UP Diliman Campus in Quezon City. The vendors barbecue late in the afternoon and you can see the queue as they wait for their isaw to be grilled. I don’t know what’s so great about isaw. “It’s cheap and it tastes good!“. the girls chorus. Sure, it’s cheap and tasty but is it clean? Can chicken intestines get thorougly cleaned inside and out?

When I reach home, I google for “isaw” . I get horrifed at this article, Pinoy favorites lechon, isaw, spaghetti are ‘most dangerous’ treats. Prof. Ma. Patricia V. Avanza, Ph.D. of the Food Science and Nutrition Department of the UP College of Home Economics in Diliman, Quezon City reveal that ” they are the most “dangerous” Filipino dishes, largely because of the insufficient cooking methods involved.”

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Pahiyas Festival

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Flowers come out in May, but these aren't the only things flaunted during this merry month. Down south in the town of Lucban, Quezon, there's also the kiping - a colorful, translucent rice tortilla that serves as an edible ornament of sorts. You will see lots of these at the Pahiyas Festival, an annual celebration held to usher in a bountiful harvest, and smashing good times.

It's a free-for-all, grab-all-you-can affair with suman-sweet, sticky native rice cakes-as the center of contention. It is also the grand prize, so feel free to join the fray. Rest assured, whether you get handfuls or just a mere mouthful, the Mayohan sa Tayabas will leave you wanting for more - suman, of course!

Sariaya's own version of the San Isidro festival showcases the creativity and ingenuity of the townsfolk in their craft and culinary tradition.

Filipino Christmas - Paskong Pinoy

Just what is the Philippine Christmas or, as we fondly call it, “Paskong Pinoy”? What sets is apart from other yuletide celebrations the world over? Pasko, a corruption of the Spanish pascua, is the most-awaited and the best loved fiesta amongst a thousand others in the 7,107 islands of the Philippine archipelago. And as it spans five months,
it also boasts of being the longest Christmas season in the world! But what makes Pasko so “Pinoy”? Well, think about it
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What is tinikling?

Tinikling is a Filipino folk dance, often dubbed the Philippine National Dance. The dance originated in Leyte as an imitation of the movements of the tikling bird dodging bamboo traps set by rice farmers.

The dance consists of two people hitting parallel bamboo poles on the ground, raising them, then sliding the poles against each other on the ground with a rhythm. Meanwhile, at least one dancer hops over and around the clashing poles in a manner not entirely unlike jump roping. Other variations consist of four people holding a pair of bamboo in a tic-tac-toe like pattern. This form of the dance would usually travel in a circular pattern increasing the difficulting of staying on rhythm.

Dancers Dance like the tikling bird's legendary grace and speed as they skillfully play, chase each other run over tree brances, or dodge bamboo traps set by rice farmers. Hence it was given the name after the bird, tikling.

There is a similar dance in East Malaysia called Magunatip.

Hot Chicks!

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I wonder how tasty these chicks are ;)
I bet those tasty intestines seems crunchy and juicy...