| Teach Your Child Nationalism: Have a Filipino-Themed Party | | Print | |
| Written by Kiddie Party Library | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday, 11 February 2009 11:58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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We cannot deny that we are so immersed in Western/American culture, and because of this, our kids are growing up the same way. We speak to them in English and we encourage them to watch American cartoons and read English story books. On the other hand, children learn about Filipino culture in the formal venue - school. Does this guarantee they'll learn about local culture? Probably not. Because they will associate it with school and not with their casual activities, our kids may associate Filipino literature with rules and studying, and not as something that they can enjoy during their past time. Throwing a Filipino-themed birthday is simple. With or without a budget, you can execute this party, as long as you're creative enough to make the party really festive and not look like a Linggo ng Wika celebration. The VenueYou can hold it at home, in a restaurant, or any special events' venue. If you're having it in a restaurant, avoid Americanized venues like fast foods (McDonalds, Jollibee) or restaurants that serve foreign cuisine (Pizza Hut, Chowking). The obvious option would be to go with traditional Filipino restaurants that offer not just Pinoy food, but Pinoy ambiance as well; some examples are Cabalen, Kamay Kainan, Kamay Kamayan, Barrio Fiesta, and Bacolod Inasal. These restaurants may not have kiddie party packages, but they would certainly have party packages that you can choose from. If you're considering a special events venue, try to prioritize Bahay ng Alumni and Club Filipino among your list of options because they automatically have a local feel. Museo Pambata also offers kiddie party packages, which is great, because it doubles the purpose of your party: for kids to have fun and learn at the same time. Costumes and DecorationsHave all of your guests arrive in native Filipino attire - Filipiniana, baro't saya, barong Tagalog, or tribal wear. Can you just imagine how cute it would be for the little girls and boys wearing Maria Clara costumes, Barong Tagalogs and a bahag. Nobody can spare an excuse that they don't have a costume; everybody owns at least one Filipinana outfit. If they have an excuse, then they're not true blue Pinoys. To make the place really festive, hang several pieces of Pinoy banderitas like the ones you see during fiestas (inverted triangle pieces in different colors, tied on a string). These are really inexpensive and you can even make it with your kid. You can choose to have different colors or just two prominent colors, depending on the place and/or if you have a color theme. You can still have balloons especially if the venue has a really high ceiling; but if the place is a bit cramped, then you can do without the balloons. Even if it isn't Christmas, hang a couple of parols on the stage, or you can line them up on the wall. You can post the birthday banner on a couple of bamboos, and have the entrance decorated with flowers, like a santacruzan. Don't forget to a Filipino flag! Games and Activities
There are a lot of local games that the kids would definitely enjoy, starting with the palayok and pabitin. If you have enough space, you can also have them play patintero, piko, declan ruki (Simon Says), palo sebo, and luksong tinik. These games are really fun and wholesome that even adults can join in! Try searching Wikipedia for traditional Filipino games, to get more ideas. If you're not very familiar or comfortable with these games, you can still do traditional kiddie party games but infuse Filipino culture into it. Play traditional music (e.g. Bahay Kubo) to Trip to Jerusalem, or play the Boat is Sinking in Tagalog and not English. For entertainment, why not hire folk dancers to demonstrate to your child and guests traditional Filipino dances? Or hire puppet entertainers that would narrate Filipino folklore to the kids! Sing Maligayang Bati instead of Happy Birthday to really get the feel of Filipino culture. FoodServe traditional Filipino cuisine - we're pretty sure you know what to choose - but don't hesitate to top it off with a delicious lechon! Request your caterer to serve the dishes in palayok instead of the stainless steel pots and pans. Use banana leaves for plates, and if your meal allows it, let everyone use their hands for eating (just make sure you have a clean bathroom with lots of soap!) If you're in an events venue or if the restaurants allow it, hire street vendors (or have some people pose as vendors) to serve snacks on the side while the festivities are taking place - taho, sorbetes, bibingka, turon, and banana cue. Go ahead and serve all types of yummy Pinoy delicacies like halo-halo, mais/saba con yelo, leche flan, suman, ensaimada, ginataan, puto, kutsinta, and buko pie. If you really know your culture, then all of this will come easy to you and you'll know exactly what to do. When you look back at the memories, you'll be so proud because you not only executed something different, but you also did your part in infusing nationalism on today's youth.
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| Last Updated on Thursday, 12 February 2009 01:01 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
galing!