Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

HOW lucky are you in the year of the Ox?

Being born under a different sign, I decided to visit this store in Binondo called Charm General Merchandise to get some answers.

Lucky for me, store owner Maxima Tiu was kind enough to explain the lucky charms for this year.

“Ox symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. People under this sign are born leaders and have the ability to achieve great things,” says Tiu.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

NOTHING beats a walk along Ongpin St. especially during the Chinese New Year. So to complete our experience of Chinatown, INQUIRER.net multimedia reporters Lawrence Casiraya, Marjorie Gorospe and I strolled along the street.

As we walked towards the action, we saw one performer spitting fire just like a dragon.

Everywhere, I saw red. According to Chinese tradition, red drives evil away. So we continued our stroll until the rhythmic beating of the drums and dancing lion caught my attention. At first, I thought adults were parading this creature, which can be mesmerizing. But kids were actually underneath it.

Later, I was told that they were called “The Kids Lion Dance.” Their youngest member is 8 years old. According to lion dancer Johnny Najera, 14, their oldest member is 30 years old.

In our conversation, Najera admits carrying the huge lion’s head while dancing is not easy. “Medyo mabigat po [It’s quite heavy],” he says.

Every night, they practice. These kids only perform the lion dance during Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year. They often earn P200 to P500 a day dancing.

Najera says they earn some money doing the lion dance. Jessie Patrocinio, 12 years old, however, says he beats the drums to take away the bad luck.

YEARNING for a healthy diet this Christmas season?

First off, going on a diet doesn’t mean that you will deprive yourself of mouthwatering food during this festive season. The word “diet” has been often associated with losing weight but nutritionists argue that dieting is about selecting the right food every meal.

After all the parties that you have had this Christmas season, check what you’ve eaten. Did you have any vegetables in your diet? If you haven’t listed veggies, then why not break the meat meals and still have a festive delight. How? It’s a matter of combining the right food.

Chef Bong Ignacio, seasoned instructor of the American Hospitality Academy, prepared this Chicken Roulade and Chinese Broccoli with Raisins and Cashew nuts for health conscious individuals. Watch this latest episode of What’s Cookin’? with AHA?, and see Ignacio demonstrate two recipes.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

LAS Piñas City is known for the bamboo organ and for their bamboo craft. No wonder, even during the Christmas season, some people prefer to have their lanterns be made by the residents of Las Piñas.
I recently met this group called Samahang Magpaparol ng Brgy. E. Aldana Las Piñas Inc. Violeta Santos formed and led this group. It is one of many organizations in Las Piñas that help people find livelihood.

I visited the group’s stalls. Each had something unique to display including the famous Parol or lantern which we often displayed in streets or in Filipino homes. During my visit, I was shown how parols are made.

Depending on the design, building a lantern starts with building a framework. The framework is made of bamboo. They cut the bamboo into thin sticks according to specific measurements. Then a star-shaped pattern is formed by connecting the edges. They then cover of the star-shaped framework with colored plastic. They also create a tail that is later attached to the lantern. It’s that easy. Parol makers eventually sell them for a reasonable amount.

Through the year, Santos said their group also gets orders from the buyers like car companies who request for specific designs.

For the residents of Las Piñas, the lantern is no longer just a Christmas symbol. It has also become a source of livelihood for some.

WHEN you think of typhoons, you often think of death and destruction. But amid these unwanted consequences, some people find good things from these sad events.

In September 2006, typhoon Milenyo hit Southern Luzon and brought down hundreds of trees at the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus.

Dr. Fernando Sanchez, assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Development, UPLB, said that the typhoon uprooted decades-old trees.

“Before the typhoon Milenyo happened, it was a dream to have a wooden Belen in the campus,” Sanchez added.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

Our search for the giant lanterns of Pampanga led us to Tatang Erning (real name Ernesto Quiwa), one of the most respected lantern makers in the province.

We found him in his home in Barangay Sta. Lucia, a few minutes away from San Fernando city proper. His home also serves as the base for his lantern-making business.

Tatang Erning, however, is more famous for his giant lanterns. He has been making them in time for the city’s annual Giant Lantern festival since the 1960s.

He is a fourth-generation descendant of the Estanislaos, one of the pioneering families who have been making lanterns ever since the “Ligligan Parul” began taking place in the 1930s.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

THE Filipinos’ festive celebration of Christmas begins as early as September. No wonder the Philippines has been known as the country with the longest celebration of Christmas. Filipinos would decorate their homes with garlands, Christmas lights, belen and the Parol or the lantern – which are symbols that represent the spirit of Christmas

The Parol, for instance, is a symbol of the guiding light which wise men followed during their journey to find Jesus Christ. But symbols go hand in hand with traditions that people practice. Christmas is not complete without the caroling, Simbang Gabi, Noche Buena, and the “Mano Po Ninong at Ninang.”

Truly, Filipinos celebrate Christmas like no other.

INQUIRER.net VDO presents these Christmas messages.

May the true spirit of Christmas be etched in your hearts.

THE Noche Buena table is not complete without a Christmas Ham. As early as November, you can already see these cured hams being sold in supermarkets. While these commercial hams are cured, you can make it extra special by glazing it with sweetness mixed with a tinge of sourness. How can you do that?

Watch chef Bong Ignacio as he cooks the Pineapple and Star Anise Glazed Ham.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

DECORATING for Christmas is not complete without the twinkling Christmas lights that brighten up a night. But how safe are the Christmas lights that you are using?

According to Alex Malong, product manager of the Bureau of Product Standards-Department of Trade and Industry (BPS-DTI), all Christmas lights sold in the market should have the following in its packaging:

1. A visible Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker
2. Safety instructions
3. Manufacturer’s name
4. Country of origin
5. Number of standard used- PNS 189:2000
6. Printed mark “For indoor use only”
7. Rated voltage and rated wattage of the set
8. Rated voltage and rated wattage of the lamp

[Read the rest of this entry »]

DECORATING a Christmas tree should not be that expensive.

Anything can be hung on a Christmas tree as long as it is light and colorful, according to Alice Tesoro-Guerrero, chairman of Tesoro’s marketing corporation. In fact, the decoration can be unrelated to Christmas.

Guerrero’s Christmas trees, namely her Heritage tree and the Filipiniana tree displayed at the Tesoro Handicraft store, are examples.

The Heritage tree glowing in white motif was decorated with handkerchiefs, mini-pouch, wedding souvenirs, shell icicles, Capiz trimmings and lights. Guerrero said she got the idea of shell icicles from the shell chimes that were displayed in the store. Aside from the shell icicles, Guerrero said the handkerchief can be reused after Christmas.

“If it’s no longer Christmas, you can use it as a hanky in suits,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero said she came up with the idea of putting souvenir items on Christmas trees when she found that they have a lot of them in their store.

“I want to have something different,” she said.

You can get creative when decorating Christmas trees. There are other things you can hang: native car dolls, poinsettia napkin rings, butterfly refrigerator magnets, key chains, wine shot glasses, and children’s ballpen.

As Guerrero stressed, you don’t need to spend much this coming holidays.

“Look around the house. Maybe you can find small items. Let your imagination run wild,” Guerrero said.