Not too long ago, we used to have a month, if not a week-long celebration of the Philippine National Language. But today my daughter gets to have only a day to celebrate the Philippine National Language.
As a millennial mom raising a kid who belongs to a generation of “Skip Ad” and streamed online content, immersing my daughter to the Filipino culture has become challenging. Apart from our local museum tours, one way to introduce her to anything Filipino is through this one day that we celebrate our culture in school.
What she wore
There are plenty of Philippine National Costumes to showcase Filipino culture. We have the Baro’t Saya, Ethnic Clothing, Kimona, Maria Clara Dress and the Terno gown or Filipiniana and so much more. Unfortunately, these national costumes are not easy to find especially the well-made ones. When I was a kid, I would scour wet markets to find a Kimona only to see a classmate wearing the same design and colour. Today, there are variations like the custom-madeModern Filipiniana style, but it comes with a hefty price.
Last year my daughter wore the Igorot Ethnic Clothing because she was too small to fit in a Kimona or a Filipiniana dress. This year she was big enough to wear a red Filipiniana dress paired with a Bakya, a pair of sleepers made of wood. It was too cute, so I also got her the Abaca sleepers, which in total was about Php 730 at a local store in the mall.
Mini Salu-Salo at school
Everyone was wearing cute Philippine costumes. The girls wore different adorable styles while the boys look dashing in their Barong.
I’m not sure if these kids would remember their Salu-Salo at school. They had every Filipino dish you could think of from Pinoy-style Barbecue, Pancit Malabon, Puto, Rice, Pastillas and more. To make the celebration livelier, the teachers also prepared traditional Filipino games like the Pabitin. It’s a famous party game wherein toys, sweets and candies are tied on a Bamboo rack so children could pull them once hoisted from the ground.
What are the ways to foster a positive Filipino culture to kids
We had our photos taken on this photo backdrop from her school.
Celebrating the Philippine National Language with colourful Filipino costumes in school is only one way to teach our kids about our culture. With foreign content on local channels and online platforms, there are few options available for the kids. But, there are ways to familiarise them.
- A day trip to the Children’s Museum would be like a real-life treasure hunt for Filipino ornaments.
- Visiting local stores of handmade items are also a place to discover Filipino items like toys and games. It could be a fun way for a playtime alternative at home.
- Include Filipino storybooks in your kids library.
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