OF TREES AND FOREST
Why do we celebrate the new year? Why do we go through all the trouble of going back home to the provinces or gathering everyone around the dinner table before the clock strikes midnight? There is a psychological importance to bidding goodbye to the old year and to welcoming a new year. A new year signifies hope and a new beginning. It is as if the turning of the new calendar can erase everything unsavory about the previous year and giving everyone a clean slate for the incoming year. A fresh start to life.
Celebrating the new year also allows us to celebrate family and friendships. Reunions and get togethers of Filipino families usually happen around the new year. Many of these celebrations are simply excuses to gather the family or be with people you care about.I also think that celebrating the new year, just like many of the holidays we have in the country is an opportunity to create memories and traditions. Filipino families have many traditions when it comes to the new year and most of these are focused on ensuring prosperity for the coming year.
When I was a kid I never understood the greeting “Manigong Bagong Taon.” We used to joke around that it is actually “Maligong Bagong Taon” implying an imperative to take a bath before the new year comes in. I have never heard anyone use the word manigo except during the new year.
Later on in life, I figured out that it translates to success or prosperity. So the greeting really is a wish for a more successful year ahead, which makes a lot of sense.
Success and prosperity are the reason why our mothers and titas insisted on displaying 12 round fruits on the table. It is supposed to symbolize abundance and is believed to attract prosperity for the coming year. This belief, of course, caused prices of apples, oranges, grapes and watermelon to skyrocket at this time of the year. When we would pass by the fruit section of Divisioria market on our way to our fish and shrimp stall, my Nanay Curing would notice the prices of these fruits inching up around the Christmas holiday.
The Media Noche is another Filipino tradition for new year. I remember my mother and father strictly observing this tradition for our family. We would eat a very early dinner so we can gather and eat during midnight as we welcome the new year. On a regular night, we would have been out of the house by 11 p.m. so we can start walking towards Divisoria for the auction and to set up our stall. But on New Year’s Eve, we stay at home and share a meal.
The idea of the Media Noche is to have a feast in order to ensure prosperity. Some families bring out the expensive dishes during this time—lechon, Morcon, kaldereta and the like. But Media Noche does not have to be expensive and lavish. I remember when I was young our Media Noche was very simple. Actually, I only focus on keso de bola and ham since they are my favorites. This tradition, I believe, is not simply a symbol of prosperity but also an opportunity to gather everyone you love and welcome the new year as a family.
When my kids were still very young and still staying with us, we see would them every day. Even when I was busy with our business, I would see them get ready for school and later in the day.
But when they became professionals in their own right and became very busy we would have this Sunday lunch so we can catch up. Then we would have Christmas and New Year in the US so that all of us would be together that time of the year.
Today, Paolo, Mark, and Camille have started building their own families, and I always tell them that one of the most important things they can do as parents is to create traditions, which would then become the canvass for creating memories for their families. ([email protected] and/or http://www.mannyvillar.com)