Welcome to the Year of the Wooden Horse

   Chinese New Year isn't just celebrated in China - it's a popular celebration all over the world. In our country, Manila’s district Binondo is the focal point of the Chinese New Year celebrations welcoming the year of the Wooden Horse.

This year, the city government of Manila vowed to amplify the joyous mood with activities enjoining the local Chinese community and officials in welcoming the year of the wooden horse.

Wishing each other ‘Kung Hei Fat Choy’ would not be enough without the traditional ‘niangao’ or the New Year’s Cake ‘Tikoy.’ Some 6,000 tikoys distributed at Plaza San Ruiz followed by a solidarity parade from Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz to different parts of Chinatown.

 Another Chinese tradition were the hanging of red lanterns and banners in their homes, dancing in traditional costumes and watching fireworks. In connection with this, a crowd of around 8,000 was mesmerized by a 35-minute fireworks display following a countdown to the lunar new year.

The Country's 1st PolytechnicU: Soaring High @ 109

This October, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines is celebrating its 109^th founding anniversary with the theme “The Country's 1st PolytechnicU: Soaring High @ 109”.

Together with this glorification, the much awaited sport event for this year will also be opened; the PUP’s 2013 Intramural.

Intramural is an annual anticipated festivity of a school or college affiliated with the celebration of its founding anniversary; and with that, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines is looking forward for this sport event.

Basically, the opening of the sport event will showcase the tough performances of various  amazing cheering squads; and, one of these is the College of Communication Cheering Squad.

         Some highlights of this anniversary are Intramurals, different festivals, conferences, and Pylon Run. This is an annual event wherein naked men holding roses run with different posters having different thoughts such as freedom for information.

Miss Venezuela crowned as Miss Universe 2013

Photo by www.heavy.com

Ms. Venezuela, Gabriela Isler crowned as the Miss Universe 2013 from the pageant held at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia last Saturday,  November 9.

            It started with 86 ladies, but the panel of judges narrowed it down to one beautiful, lucky winner. After all the girls from every corner of the world showed off their best beauty, five candidates were chosen to answer the Q&A portion. Ms. Spain, Ms. Ecuador, Ms. Philippines and Ms. Brazil made fabulous appearances but in the end Ms. Venezuela is officially on the top of the Universe.

After the pageant, Miss Venezuela will undergo to different projects given by Miss Universe.

Chinese custom influences Filipino way of celebrating New Year

To a Filipino middle-class family, the New Year celebration is not complete without 12 kinds of round- shaped fruits on the dining table which the family members share after the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31.

This is a Chinese tradition in welcoming the New Year which the Filipinos have adopted. The Chinese, however, need to have only eight round fruits on the table because the number 8 signifies good luck. For Filipinos the belief is that the 12 round fruits represent 12 months of the year and assure good fortune to the family members all year round. As a tropical country, it is not difficult in the Philippines to find round-shaped fruits such as oranges, watermelons, mangoes, pineapples, guavas, rhambutans, jackfruits, pomelos and peaches. In the Chinese tradition, the pineapple is an important fruit for the New Year celebration because the "eyes" of the fruit symbolize success in one's career and more opportunities in the coming year. In the Philippines, however, the pineapple is not given such importance.

But most Filipino families have adopted the Chinese custom of presenting red envelopes called ang pao with new crisp peso (the Philippine currency) bills to children. Usually the children and even adults are asked to hold coins of various denominations and jump at the stroke of midnight, another Chinese tradition to usher in a prosperous new year. The Filipinos, like the Chinese, also believe that what you do at the beginning of the year will have an effect on your life at least until the end of the year. But, the most popular New Year's Eve tradition around the world is display of fireworks. There were those who suggested that the firecracker ban should be imposed nationwide but many Filipinos, particularly in Metro Manila, want to welcome the New Year with a "bang" literally.

Every year, the Department of Health launches a nationwide campaign warning the people of the danger of exploding firecrackers, especially the bigger ones. But these exhortations are often ignored by the public. Two days before the New Year, authorities reported that some 200 have already been injured by firecrackers.

As in other Southeast Asian nations, the large Chinese community in the Philippines has been exerting cultural influence on the Filipino way of life long before the coming of the Spanish and American colonizers.

12M Devotees Expected to Flock on Black Nazarene Day

Credits to rodrigorivera.inspirare.blogspot.com

         Organizers of the Feast of the Black Nazarene said that they expect at least 12 million devotees to attend the nine-day novena at the Quiapo Church in Manila that would end on the feast day this January 9.

         Quiapo Church rector Monsignor Clemente Ignacio told CBCP News, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP),that they expect 12 million devotees to flock to the Black Nazarene from January 1 to January 9. Millions of devotees from all over the country also play a part in the translacion on the feast day of the Nazarene.The translacion is the transfer of the image of the Black Nazarene from the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park to Quiapo Church. Barefoot devotees join the procession as a sign of penance. Joining the procession has also become a vow for many Filipino Catholics who want to express their gratitude for the favors they have received. 

         Last year, at least nine million devotees participated in the nine-hour procession that covered three kilometers from the Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church, which is formally known as the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene.