🇵🇭 SAN MANUEL • (Pangasinan) Witnessing a Bayanihan Cooking Culture

" I know it was not easy to sacrifice a time, your strength and effort but it was so enlightening that what I was seeing at their faces are marks of smile and sincerity rather than stress or expression of being tired."

The locals gathered in one house and selflessly gave their time to help with a cheerful heart. They didn't sleep the whole night and it was very touching to see that in the town of San Manuel in Pangasinan, the real spirit of "Bayanihan," the Filipino way of cooperating and helping, is very much alive! 

Some men preparing the food voluntarily for a big party

Maps by Wikipedia

Location Highlighted in Red

The Filipino culture is sometimes very much lovely and selfless that the people tend to help each other if one is in need.

A friend and a blog reader, named Arcelita Atinaja-Almogela (Ate Celia) invited me to join the birthday party of her daughter CJ and it was an honor that she hosted me in her house, gave me good food and warm welcome for a day and a night just because she wanted me to blog about the upcoming birthday celebration of her daughter.

At this invitation, how can I say no? If a reader is trusting you, as a blogger hidden by the pictures and words of the blog, it would be fluttering to gain their trust even if the only connection is via commenting in our blogs, or via social media.

Fried Pork, it will turn into several dishes, thanks to the volunteers who cooked.

Different menu from the swine slaughtered by the Bayanihan Cooking volunteers

The cooks had no complain at all. I know it was not easy to sacrifice a time, your strength and effort but it was so enlightening that what I was seeing at their faces are marks of smile and sincerity rather than stress or expression of being tired. 

It was not a relaxing day though, and I can personally sense that Ate Celia was so pressured about the upcoming party of her daughter - it is her 7th birthday actually.

But what is so beautiful and touching is that the people who were helping this time gave Ate Celia an ample time of relief from being pressured in preparing for the party.

The locals, mostly their relatives have shown me at this very moment of time that there is a hope for our country that if everyone is as selfless as the people of San Manuel, we can succeed as a nation.

If you want to help, age doesn't matter, another salient character I learned in this place where I have set foot into. I know, it was a big event and it needs a lot of effort but the people extended their help with joy in their face, cheerfully and without expecting any return at all. Wow!

A helping hand, not expecting something in return :)

Ate Celia, a blog reader, a friend, invited me to witness her daughter's birthday.

When Ate Celia invited me to witness her daughter's birthday, it was not only the birthday party that I witnessed but I also witnessed another celebration that can truly be considered as an important Filipino culture in nation-building that we can not afford to ignore -- deep inside me, there is a celebration, and it was a celebration of the Filipino people's willingness to help, Bayanihan!

The invitation was of worth at least giving me a hint that the Bayanihan Culture of the Filipinos is not dead. They also prepared the food in a very traditional way. They used silyasi in cooking. Some of the people who helped just set up 3 pieces of big stones at the backyard where they placed the silyasi for them to cook the food after igniting a fire in between those 3 large stones. Some cooked it on a dalikan as shown above.

I admit, I was so full, as full as the Avocado tree I was seeing this time bearing numerous fruits. And I must say that it was not just my stomach that was satisfied but also my soul yearning to witness an amazing Filipino culture that nowadays I consider rare - the Bayanihan Culture.

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