Hi, Gemma. I really enjoyed your dissertation on the pinata. Had no idea of its interesting background other that it was of a Latino origin. I am usually in charge of the kids games at our company summer picnics. I would have a couple of these pinatas and would handpick the ones that would catch the children's fancy. It all makes sense to me now. Growing up in the Philippines, my siblings and I and the entire neighborhood kids enjoyed our version of the palayok after the procession during santacruzan season. (Now here is one for you...did the Pabitin have as colorful history as the Pinata?) Thanks you so much for your fascinating and enlightening articles. I really enjoy them as I am a history buff myself. Merry Christmas to you and your family and may you have a most Blessed New Year.
Your friend and fan,
Peter Sanchez
Friday, December 28, 2007
from Conrado Rigor
Hi Gemma,
Happy New year to you!
It's your fan from Seattle again who
wrote to you about old Ft. William McKinley.
I had forgotten to add that the exploiters
of that revered piece of land had mercilessly
taken out the centuries-old acacia trees that
had been the trademark of the old military reservation.
Those old trees, planted at the turn of the century,
had lined the long road known then as
MacArthur Avenue (where I grew up in)
in Ft. McKinley. The road extended all the way to
the millionaires' row in Forbes Park and was noted
for its shady, breezy lanes that lent so much
character to the place. It was on this road
that the cottages of Army officers and their
families were. In those days
(ask Senator Jun Magsaysay), our fathers
were professional soldiers who placed
God, country, honor, and integrity above all else.
How we miss those glorious days!
--Sluggo Rigor
Happy New year to you!
It's your fan from Seattle again who
wrote to you about old Ft. William McKinley.
I had forgotten to add that the exploiters
of that revered piece of land had mercilessly
taken out the centuries-old acacia trees that
had been the trademark of the old military reservation.
Those old trees, planted at the turn of the century,
had lined the long road known then as
MacArthur Avenue (where I grew up in)
in Ft. McKinley. The road extended all the way to
the millionaires' row in Forbes Park and was noted
for its shady, breezy lanes that lent so much
character to the place. It was on this road
that the cottages of Army officers and their
families were. In those days
(ask Senator Jun Magsaysay), our fathers
were professional soldiers who placed
God, country, honor, and integrity above all else.
How we miss those glorious days!
--Sluggo Rigor
from Rene Velazquez
Saludos GCA:
Prior to WW II, Clark Field was the aerodrome for Fort Stotsenberg – a cavalry post. The fort was named after Col. John Miller Stotsenberg of the First Nebraska Volunteers. He was killed on 23 April 1899 during the Philippine-American War.
According to contemporary accounts, on the morning of the 23rd, he was leading a battalion of the regiment in action against Filipino entrenchments near the Quinga river. On approaching the river (in what is now Plaridel, Bulacan) south of Calumpit, the batallion came under heavy fire from the dug-in Filipinos. The first casualties were Col. Stotsenberg, one lieutenant and two privates who were shot dead, and thirty-one men were wounded. Col. Stotsenberg apparently received three Mauser shots in the upper torso.
Fort Stotsenberg did not have an aerodrome until 1912 when the Philippine Air School was established. Construction of the runway started in 1919. It was named Clark Field in honor of Major Harold M. Clark.
Harold M. Clark was born in 1890 and died on 2 May 1919. He was acknowledged as the first United States airman to fly in Hawaii . He died in a seaplane crash in the Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal Zone and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery .
Fort Stotsenberg and Clark Field co-existed until shortly after the end of WW II, when it was renamed Clark Air Force Base.
I hope that sheds a little more light on the history of the place.
r.v.
Prior to WW II, Clark Field was the aerodrome for Fort Stotsenberg – a cavalry post. The fort was named after Col. John Miller Stotsenberg of the First Nebraska Volunteers. He was killed on 23 April 1899 during the Philippine-American War.
According to contemporary accounts, on the morning of the 23rd, he was leading a battalion of the regiment in action against Filipino entrenchments near the Quinga river. On approaching the river (in what is now Plaridel, Bulacan) south of Calumpit, the batallion came under heavy fire from the dug-in Filipinos. The first casualties were Col. Stotsenberg, one lieutenant and two privates who were shot dead, and thirty-one men were wounded. Col. Stotsenberg apparently received three Mauser shots in the upper torso.
Fort Stotsenberg did not have an aerodrome until 1912 when the Philippine Air School was established. Construction of the runway started in 1919. It was named Clark Field in honor of Major Harold M. Clark.
Harold M. Clark was born in 1890 and died on 2 May 1919. He was acknowledged as the first United States airman to fly in Hawaii . He died in a seaplane crash in the Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal Zone and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery .
Fort Stotsenberg and Clark Field co-existed until shortly after the end of WW II, when it was renamed Clark Air Force Base.
I hope that sheds a little more light on the history of the place.
r.v.
about Benazir Bhutto
The Islamic world has lost a strong voice for democracy
We mourn the death of Benazir Bhutto, twice elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, The assassination of the former Prime Minister Bhutto is not only a loss for the forces of democracy, it is a destabilizing blow for Pakistan and the region, already reeling from separatist conflicts and Al Qaeda-related tensions.
Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan could have strengthened the government, following moves for power-sharing with President Parvez Musharraf. Her death at the hands of an assassin has not only removed that option, it imposes more burdens on a government and a nation caught between the growing influence of extremists and radicals and the pressures coming from the United States and its allies.
Our sister Benazir was a powerful image for the Muslim world, a woman who was elected Prime MInister of an Islamic country where the military and the religious leaders were influential. Her death has erased that powerful image.
We offer our prayers and condolences to our sister Benazir's family and her nation in this tragic time. We pray for peace in Pakistan.
Amina Rasul
Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy
We mourn the death of Benazir Bhutto, twice elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, The assassination of the former Prime Minister Bhutto is not only a loss for the forces of democracy, it is a destabilizing blow for Pakistan and the region, already reeling from separatist conflicts and Al Qaeda-related tensions.
Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan could have strengthened the government, following moves for power-sharing with President Parvez Musharraf. Her death at the hands of an assassin has not only removed that option, it imposes more burdens on a government and a nation caught between the growing influence of extremists and radicals and the pressures coming from the United States and its allies.
Our sister Benazir was a powerful image for the Muslim world, a woman who was elected Prime MInister of an Islamic country where the military and the religious leaders were influential. Her death has erased that powerful image.
We offer our prayers and condolences to our sister Benazir's family and her nation in this tragic time. We pray for peace in Pakistan.
Amina Rasul
Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Ms. Gemma Araneta,
Thank you. I have been reading your blogspot lately, I appreciate the
action taken by the City of Manila government, most particularly Mayor
Lim in saving the historic Luneta Hotel. I can still remember when my
parents, siblings, and I used to walkby and watch visitors getting in
and out of the hotel during the late 60's. We used to wait for our ride
back home along TM Kalaw infront of the hotel. Very nostalgic. I am now
in my mid-50's and I do wish that Luneta Hotel will still be there,
preserved and looked after until the day I leave this world.
More power and God bless.
Dante Ferrer
Thank you. I have been reading your blogspot lately, I appreciate the
action taken by the City of Manila government, most particularly Mayor
Lim in saving the historic Luneta Hotel. I can still remember when my
parents, siblings, and I used to walkby and watch visitors getting in
and out of the hotel during the late 60's. We used to wait for our ride
back home along TM Kalaw infront of the hotel. Very nostalgic. I am now
in my mid-50's and I do wish that Luneta Hotel will still be there,
preserved and looked after until the day I leave this world.
More power and God bless.
Dante Ferrer
Break that piñata!
Believe it or not, the piñata is not a mere party game. Originally, it symbolized the eternal battle between Good and Evil . It was an instrument of evangelization, introduced to the New World via Mexico (Nueva España) , probably as early as the XVIth century.
Today the piñata is completely secularized and no one remembers its catechetical function. At piñata shops scattered all over Mexico (and probably the rest of Latin America and other parts of the world where Latinos live), one can buy all types of piñatas-- Santa Claus, Super Man, Spider Man, Nemo, furry animal, galleons with pretty sails, Winnie the Pooh, Harry Potter and other box office heroes. Gigantic, medium and small, these modern day piñatas have nothing to do with the Roman Catholic religion. For all we know, children end up traumatized by having to whack and destroy the effigy of their favorite pet animal or cartoon character.
A historically correct piñata consists of a terra cotta pot (palayok) disguised as a brilliant star wrapped in shiny colored paper, embellished with seven horns, each covered with paper of different hues, and each with a coquettish tassel dangling from the tip. The piñata is the Devil and the horns, the seven capital sins, that is why the piñata has to be as alluring as temptation itself and as irresistible as an occasion of sin. The Devil, temptation and sin have to be vanquished— breaking the piñata-- before we mortals can receive God´s blessings—symbolized by the spilling of its delicious contents..
Because it was a religious lesson, the piñata was broken at Christmas time, during a Pastorella, or during the Lenten season. Before taking a hack at it, one is blindfolded to profess “ blind Faith” (believing without seeing) ” with which one conquers temptation and resists committing sin. The stout stick used to hit the piñata symbolizes fortitude and other God-given virtues; it can also symbolize Jesus Christ himself, our Savior. The song that livens up the ritual is more like a religious canticle that enjoins us not to stray from the rightful path:
“Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino ,( Hit it and don´t lose your aim) porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino ( because if you do, you will lose the way) . Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino, mide la distancia que hay en el camino ( measure the distance of the way/road) . Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino, porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino..”.
Once broken the piñata disgorges a shower of cacahuates,( like our boiled mani) miniature naranjas (oranges) and jicamas (sinkamas) , cañas (chopped tubo), dulces (native sweets), , tejocotes ( small orange fruits ) which symbolize God´s blessings for those whose sins are forgiven. Why these fruits in particular? Each one probably symbolizes a Christian virtue.
As you know, the early missionaries adapted popular local traditions to facilitate evangelization. The loa and dalit of ancient Batangas eventually became religious songs. By coincidence, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on the very place where Aztecs venerated Tonantzin. Intriguing, isn´t it? There must be more to our fiestas and festivals than just street dancing.
Today the piñata is completely secularized and no one remembers its catechetical function. At piñata shops scattered all over Mexico (and probably the rest of Latin America and other parts of the world where Latinos live), one can buy all types of piñatas-- Santa Claus, Super Man, Spider Man, Nemo, furry animal, galleons with pretty sails, Winnie the Pooh, Harry Potter and other box office heroes. Gigantic, medium and small, these modern day piñatas have nothing to do with the Roman Catholic religion. For all we know, children end up traumatized by having to whack and destroy the effigy of their favorite pet animal or cartoon character.
A historically correct piñata consists of a terra cotta pot (palayok) disguised as a brilliant star wrapped in shiny colored paper, embellished with seven horns, each covered with paper of different hues, and each with a coquettish tassel dangling from the tip. The piñata is the Devil and the horns, the seven capital sins, that is why the piñata has to be as alluring as temptation itself and as irresistible as an occasion of sin. The Devil, temptation and sin have to be vanquished— breaking the piñata-- before we mortals can receive God´s blessings—symbolized by the spilling of its delicious contents..
Because it was a religious lesson, the piñata was broken at Christmas time, during a Pastorella, or during the Lenten season. Before taking a hack at it, one is blindfolded to profess “ blind Faith” (believing without seeing) ” with which one conquers temptation and resists committing sin. The stout stick used to hit the piñata symbolizes fortitude and other God-given virtues; it can also symbolize Jesus Christ himself, our Savior. The song that livens up the ritual is more like a religious canticle that enjoins us not to stray from the rightful path:
“Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino ,( Hit it and don´t lose your aim) porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino ( because if you do, you will lose the way) . Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino, mide la distancia que hay en el camino ( measure the distance of the way/road) . Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino, porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino..”.
Once broken the piñata disgorges a shower of cacahuates,( like our boiled mani) miniature naranjas (oranges) and jicamas (sinkamas) , cañas (chopped tubo), dulces (native sweets), , tejocotes ( small orange fruits ) which symbolize God´s blessings for those whose sins are forgiven. Why these fruits in particular? Each one probably symbolizes a Christian virtue.
As you know, the early missionaries adapted popular local traditions to facilitate evangelization. The loa and dalit of ancient Batangas eventually became religious songs. By coincidence, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on the very place where Aztecs venerated Tonantzin. Intriguing, isn´t it? There must be more to our fiestas and festivals than just street dancing.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Cheering for Mar
Mar Roxas is the man !!!!! the next man !!! My children (both University students in the UK) agrees with me that Philippines must be lead by an honest President . As an Ilonggo , I am proud of his father then and I am proud of him now....
Malipayon nga Paskua.....
Patricio E. Jamelo , Jr.
EDP-System Administrator
Water & Sewage Authorities-Veria
Greece
Malipayon nga Paskua.....
Patricio E. Jamelo , Jr.
EDP-System Administrator
Water & Sewage Authorities-Veria
Greece
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