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...

Balut: Fertilized duck eggs and their role in filipino culture

"Whoever discovered balut stumbled onto the fact that food has changing excellences (taste, texture) as it evolves and develops. Thus between the egg and the full-grown duck, there are stages that bear exploring-and eating. And the Filipino has explored them and evolved the culture of balut."

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The Filipino Adobo

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The first filipino food I cooked. Chicken Adobo or Pork Adobo, as long as its main recipe - Soy Sauce is there! ;)

About Filipino Foods

Food, glorious food! Where else in the world can you sample delectable and tempting delicacies if not in the exotic country of Philippines. It is hardly surprising that Filipino food is often labeled as somewhat strange but in its own way, a unique mixture of eastern and western cuisine. After all, with nearly 400 years of outside influences, the Philippine cuisine is a fascinating blend of Malay, Spanish and Chinese cultures. To the Filipinos, food is important as it is an integral part of local art and culture as well as communal existence.

Unlike its surrounding Asian counterparts that uses hot chilies liberally in their dishes, the Philippine cuisine is often labeled as bland and mild. This made Filipino dishes more suitable for those with sedate and sensitive taste buds. As with other Asian countries, rice is their staple food and will be served with most meals. To the Filipinos, simple cooking means fish of different sizes from the sea. They prefer their fish and other seafood such as crabs, shrimps and shellfish to be as fresh as possible. The freshness of the seafood is often complemented by sauces and spices. In fact, seafood is appreciated at its best when left uncooked - in a vinaigrette (kilawin) matrix, grilled (ihaw or inihaw), and sometimes stuffed with onions wrapped in banana leaf.

It is no secret that coconuts are used liberally in creating exotic Filipino dishes. Cooking meat and vegetables using coconut milk create dishes called guinatan. These dishes originated from the Malay side of the Filipino cuisine. Apart from that, coconuts are also great for creating mouth-watering desserts like bibingka (puddings made of ground rice, sugar and coconut milk, baked in a clay oven, topped with fresh, salted duck eggs) and macapuno (thick dessert jam).

Article courtesy of MariMari

What's the History of the Philippines Anyways?

Ok guys, welcome to my first post!Lets start on the history of the Philippines... Take your time to read :)

The history of the Philippines begins with the arrival of the first humans in the Philippines by land bridges at least 30,000 years ago. The first recorded visit from the West is the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan on Homonhon Island, southeast of Samar on March 16, 1521. Permanent settlements in the island of Cebu were established with the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565, and more settlements continued northward with the colonizers reaching the bay of Manila on the island of Luzon. In Manila they established a new town and thus began an era of Spanish colonization that lasted for more than three centuries.

The Philippine Revolution against Spain began in April of 1896, culminating two years later with a proclamation of independence and the establishment of the First Philippine Republic. However, the Treaty of Paris, at the end of the Spanish-American War, transferred control of the Philippines to the United States. U.S. colonial rule of the Philippines began in December 1899, with very limited local rule permitted beginning in 1905. Partial autonomy (commonwealth status) was granted in 1935, preparatory to a planned full independence from the United States in 1945. But what was envisioned as a 10-year transition period from a commonwealth to a fully sovereign state was interrupted by the Japanese occupation of the islands during World War II. Full independence was only granted to the Philippines in July 1946.

With a promising economy in the 1950s and 1960s, the Philippines in the late 1960s and early 1970s saw a rise of student activism and civil unrest against the corrupt dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos who declared martial law in 1972. Because of close ties between United States and President Marcos, the U.S. government continued to support Marcos even though his administration was well-known for massive corruption and extensive human rights abuse. The peaceful and bloodless 1986 EDSA Revolution, however, brought about the ousting of Marcos (who fled to Hawaii on board a U.S. military helicopter, where he was exiled until his death) and a return to democracy for the country. The period since then, however, has been marked by political instability and hampered economic productivity.

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