FYI....

PAARALANG PILIPINO

OPEN HOUSE

PHILIPPINE AMERICAN COMMUNITY CENTER OF MICHIGAN

SOUTHFIELD, MI

SEPTEMBER 13, 2009

12 - 4PM

For more information go to PACCM or Email filipino.youth.initiative@gmail.com

Holy Week in the Philippines

Semana Santa or Mahal na Araw, Holy Week (the last week of Lent), is one of the most important religious festivals in the Philippines.  There are many superstitions regarding this week; for example: many Filipinos believe that wounds inflicted or received on Good Friday take long to heal and that amulets acquired on the said day are especially powerful.  

Throughout the week, most businesses in the Philippines either close until Black Saturday or have shorter store hours and, in some instances, local television or radio stations either stay off the air or broadcast more solemn or serious content, especially films and programmes with a religious theme. An example is the airing of the Seven Last Words on Good Friday live from churches on various local channels and films about the life and death of Jesus. During the Easter Triduum, usually a public holiday, some television stations even interrupt broadcast altogether until Black Saturday in observance of this solemn occasion. In the Ilocos region, a common practice is the singing of a wailing song called the Leccio. It is done as a reflection of mourning the death of Christ.

Linggo ng Palaspas

At Mass on Palm Sunday (Linggo ng Palaspas), Catholics carry palm fronds to be blessed by the priest.  They are then brought home and placed either above their front doors or windows, in the belief that doing so can ward off evil spirits and avert lightning or placed at the home alter.  The usual Gospel reading on Palm Sunday features Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when he was welcomed by people waving palm fronds and laying their cloaks on the ground for his donkey to walk upon.

Like in many churches in the US, the reading of the gospel acted out by a different liturgical minister and the lines that were spoken by Christ is reserved to the priest.

Lunes Santo hanggang Miyerkules Santo

Holy Monday - Holy Wednesday (Lunes Santo hanggang Miyerkules Santo) is the beginning of the Pabasa or the Pasyon, the marathon chanting of the prayer-story of Jesus' life, Passion, and death, which continues day and night.

Huwebes Santo

Maundy Thursday (Huwebes Santo), is the day of the traditional "Church Visit" or "Visita Iglesia", which involves visiting a church or several churches at which the faithful would pray the devotion known as the Stations of the Cross.

In the morning, the faithfuls join thier parish priest in the usual morning mass.  This is a very joyful celebration because it is considered by many priests in the country to be the day when they renew their sacerdotal vows.  In most cases, banners saying 'WE LOVE YOU FATHER (name of the priest)' is seen outside the cathedral to signify support for their parish priests.

Also celebrated on this day is the last Mass before Easter (commonly called the Mass of the Institution of the Lord's Supper) which usually includs a reenactment of the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles; this Mass is followed by the procession of the Blessed Sacrament before it is taken to the Altar of Repose.  TV and Radio networks in the nation have formally either sign-off until Easter Sunday or started restricting broadcasts.

Biyernes Santo

Good Friday (Biyernes Santo), a public holiday in the Philippines, is commemorated with solemn street processions, the Way of the Cross, the commemoration of Jesus' Seven last words and a Passion play called the Senakulo.  In some communities (most famously in the province of Pampanga), the processions include devotees who self-flagellate (self-flogging) and sometimes even have themselves nailed to crosses as expressions of penance, a fulfillment of a vow accomplished in thanksgiving, or an exchange for a granted request or prayer.  

After three o'clock in the afternoon of Good Friday (the time at which Jesus is traditionally believed to have died), noise is discouraged, bathing is proscribed and the faithful are urged to keep a solemn and prayerful disposition.  Towards late afternoon and evening there is the procession of the dead Christ.  The figure of the Jesus is taken in solemn procession and borne on a decorated hearse, after which it is venerated by the faithful.  Some even give the image the proper funeral rites such as laying the body in state or, in some instances, by smoking the seated corpse of Jesus over a fire in accordance with local, pre-hispanic funerary customs.  Such a procession may involve a various number of other saints, and tradition dictates that the last image in the line is the Sorrowful Virgin.

In fact, the great sorrow that is attributed to this day gave rise to the Tagalog idiom Mukha kang Biyernes Santo, which could literally be translated into English as "You look like Good Friday".  This means that the person looks so sad that he resembles the sorrows of Jesus Christ on His passion day.

Sabado de Gloria

Black Saturday (Sabado de Gloria), or Holy Saturday, is traditionally observed with silence and solemnity.  Preparations are made for the Easter Vigil to be celebrated that evening.

Easter Sunday

Easter morning is a joyous celebration, beginning with the dawn ceremony called the Salubong, where statues of the Resurrected Christ and the Virgin Mary, along with other saints, are brought in procession together to meet, imagining the first reunion of Jesus and his mother Mary after the Resurrection.  The statue of the Virgin Mary is veiled in black, showing her state of bereavement.  A girl dressed as an angel, positioned on a specially constructed high platform/scaffold or suspended in mid-air, sings the Regina Coeli and then dramatically pulls the veil off of the image, signifying the end of her grieving.  This is followed by pealing bells and fireworks, and the joyous Easter Mass.

WikiPilipinas: http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Holy_Week

March 14 Events

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
A/PIA HIGH SCHOOL CONFERENCE:
LIVE YOUR LIFE
SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2009

The Asian Pacific Islander American (A/PIA) High School Conference is daylong event of learning, empowerment, and action. The conference is sponsored by the United Asian American Organization (UAAO) here at the University of Michigan. Historically, over 200 high school students come from different Detroit and metro-Detroit area high schools to participate in the conference. We encourage both Asian Pacific Islander Americans and non-A/PIA youths interested in A/PIA issues to attend.

For more information or to register go to: http://www.umich.edu/~uaao/apiahsc09/index.html



WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
CHALLENGE. FUN. OPPORTUNITY.
PHILIPPINE AMERICAN COMMUNITY CENTER OF MICHIGAN
SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2009
1:30 - 3:30PM

Meet with WSU representatives and learn about traditional and emerging programs in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Biomedical Sciences and Environmental Health Sciences. You will also have the opportunity to ask about scholarship and funding opportunities. For more information contact Dr. Freda Giblin, Director of Inter-Institutional Initiatives (fgiblin@med.wayne.edu)

Scent of Apples is a collection of short stories depicting Filipinos living in America during WWII. It examines the racism these Filipinos faced, the class issues that they negotiated and the attempts to survive in a country away form home.

Bienvenido N. santos (1911-1996) is a Filipino-American fictionist, poet and nonfiction writer. He was born and raised in Tondo, Manila. He lived in the United States for many years where he is widely credited as a pioneering Asian-American writer.


Fil, Tony, tape recorder, Filipino dance troupe....what about Bienvenido Santos' "The Day the Dancers Came" stood out to you the most? Why?


**PLEASE check the Final Project Schedule at the top left of the blog**

Pag-ibig/Pag-ayaw Photo Project

1. Ask 10 different people what they like and dislike (embarrassing, annoying, etc.) about being Filipino/Filipino culture and have them write each down on 2 separate sheets of paper.

2. Take 2 picture of the person holding each sheet.
**Don't just take "mug shots". Be CREATIVE with the pictures and have FUN with this project**

3. Do the same for yourself.

4. Upload the photos to our flickr account. Place the "like" pictures in the "pag-ibig" photostream and the "dislikes" in the "pag-ayaw". Also, distinguish which photo is yours by changing the title of your photo.

You should have a total of 22 pictures when you are finished but feel free to collect more. 22 pictures is just the minimum.

Lumpia

"The Ultimate Homemade Movie"

"LUMPIA takes you back to the late-90's when tension is at an all-time high in Fogtown High School. James (Francis Custodio) and his misfit pack of friends do their best to stand up to Tyrone (Edward Baon) and his crew of thugs who have invented a new fad of (gulp!) F.O.B. bashing! But only one hero stands in their way... a silent avenger (Carlos Baon) who delivers justice one deep-fried LUMPIA at a time! With James falling for his classmate Kelly (Elizabeth Mendoza), will such a fighter be enough to ward off the one enemy that threatens to obliterate all?"

Now that you've watched the movie, tell us what you think. Post your reaction to the movie, what you thought of the characters, storyline, message, etc. We're not looking for a movie review so no "i thought the editing was done poorly...." just what you thought of the movie. If you have questions, feel free to post those too.

Check out the links and the movie trailer below.

Kid Heroes Productions

Alica Way Entertainment

Lumpia Story/Production Notes

This has nothing to do with Lumpia, BUT it has a Filipino guy speaking Tagalog in an American commercial, whoot! =) (oh, and if you're wondering why you can't understand the tailor it's because he is Thai)

New Year. New Session.
Get Excited!

Maligayang Pasko!

PACCM PASKO PARTY

Sunday
December 14, 2008
12:00pm

Food and a wonderful program from our Paaralan students!!!

Bring your family and enjoy the fun.

For more information on the event, please contact:
Fred Porte, PACCM Executive Director @ 248-443-7037

Alam mo ba? - Philippine Christmas Traditions

Christmas in the Philippines is a mixture of Western and native Filipino traditions. Santa Clause, Christmas tree, sending Christmas cards, and singing carols have all been inherited from Western culture, however, these have all been adapted to fit the nature and personality of the Filipino people.

Simbang Gabi
Christmas Day in the Philippines is ushered in by the 9 day down masses that start December 16. This novena of Masses is the most important Filipino Christmas tradition. In some parishes, Mass will begin as early as 4:00AM. Going to mass is meant to show the churchgoer's devotion and faith. In traditional Filipino belief, however, completing the novena is also suppose to mean that God would grant the devotee's special wish or favour. After Mass, Filipino families partake in traditional Philippine Christmastime delicacies either at home or from vendors outside the church.

Bisperas ng Pasko
Christmas Eve for Filipinos has the much-anticipated Noche Buena - the traditional Christmas eve feast after the midnight mass. Traditional Noche Buena fare includes: queso de bola (ball of cheese), tsokolate (hot chocolate), and jamon (Christmas ham).

Panunuluyan
In different provinces and schools, Catholic devotees also reenact the journey of Joseph and Mary in search of lodging. The Panunuluyan, also called Pananawagan and Pananapatan, is usually performed after dark on Christmas Eve with the actors portraying Joseph and mary going to pre-designated houses. They change wika wika bang bang, a traditional foldsong that is meant to wake up the owner of the house as the actors ask for lodging. The homeowners turn away the couple through a song and finally, Joseph and mary make their way to the parish church where a manger has been set up. The birth of Jesus is elebrated at midnight.

Misa de Aguinaldo
Prior to the strokd of midnight on the morning of December 25th, the Misa de Aguinaldo is being celebrated. The Misa de Aguinaldo is the Holy Mass which celebrates the birth of Jesus. The Holy Mass is also celebrated at dawn or early morning. After mass, families visit members of the extended family, notably the elders in order to pay their respects. Christmas Lunch usually follows after the Pagmamano.

Ninos Inocentes
Holy Innocents' Day is commemorated on december 28th. The innocents referred to are the children who were killed by order of Herod, who was seeking the death of the newborn Messiah.

Disperas ng Bagong Taon
Filipino families gather for the Media Noche (midnight meal) on New Year's Eve - a feast that is also supposed to symbolize their hopes for the prosperous New Year. Many Filipinos choose firecrackers to celebrate the New Year and drive away bad spirits with the loud sounds and noises. Some Filipinos choose to bang on pots and pans and use car horns to instead. Fold beliefs also include encouraging children to jump at the stroke of midnight so that they would grow up tall, displaying circular fruite and wearing clothes with circular designs to symbolize money, eating 12 grapes at midnight for good luck in the 12 months of the year, and opening the windows and doors during the first day of the New year to let in the good luck.

Tatlong Hari
Christmas officially ends on the Feast of the Three Kings (the Feast of the Epiphany) which was traditionally celebrated on January 6th (known in other countries as Twelfth Night) but is now celebrated on the first Sunday after the New Year. Some children leave their shoes out so that the Three Kings would leave gifts inside.

FYI Shirts

Let us know what size shirt you want by this coming Wednesday (Dec. 3rd). The color of the "kuwak you" shirt is bright green with black print, for some reason blogger keeps inverting the colors every time I post the picture.... -_-

"Tinikling es pun....diba?"
(bright blue w/ black print)

From filipino.youth.initiative

"kuwak you"
(bright green w/ black print)

From filipino.youth.initiative

(if you only want ONE of the shirts, please let us know....if not, then we will assume you want BOTH, but remember, the less shirts we order, the more they will cost)