TREASURE FIND 8:
Some
say that my small eyes make me look Chinese. In fact, when I was sent
to China for work, some of the locals have always mistaken me to be just
like them. They kept on talking to me in Mandarin :). However,
although my mom's ancestors have a little Spanish lineage as well, I
still consider myself more than100% Filipino. That doesn't mean though
that I don't value the Chinese influence in the Filipino culture. Of
course I do, especially when I took Mandarin classes (although Fookien
is the one most spoken in the Philippines) a few years back when I
finally appreciated the value of their traditions, which I never paid
attention before.
And
with my interest and curiosity for the Chinese custom, I actually have
planned at the start of the year (during my personal goal setting
session) that I'll celebrate Chinese New Year this time around!
A
few weeks back, I was asking around who were interested to join me or
who among our Chinoy (Filipino Chinese) friends celebrate new year in
Binondo (Philippines' China Town). And again, there was no one as
excited as me. I guess I just have to face it that my kind, the
culture junkie, is really rare haha :D. 'But heaven and earth
reconciled and made something even more special for me. I was tasked to
be part of the grand new year celebration of the country's largest and
leading insurance company Philam Life! My wish was simple, just to
witness a Chinese New Year in Binondo but what was given to me was even
something bigger, something more spectacular, something more
captivating!
Philam Life traditionally celebrates Chinese New Year
as a gesture of solidarity and respect to one of the Filipino-Chinese
community’s most important traditions. And aside from that, the event
also signifies Philam Life’s Chinese heritage as AIA, its mother
company,which traces its roots back to China.
And
as event time comes nearer, streets became more crowded and lines at
stores became longer, but I still enjoyed that experience. For the
first time, I felt the excitement of how Chinoys celebrate the Chinese
New Year!
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Mother Hen holding the giant siopao in Ho-Land shop. |
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Tikoy is the icon of the Chinese New Year celebration! |
And come event time, there's the much awaited dragon dance parade!
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Bikers joined the parade! |
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Miss Chinatown or Chinese Philippines graced the celebration. |
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This time around, the lion and the dragon became the Jollibee mascot! :D |
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The beat of the band's music was festive, it made everyone excited. |
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Dancer getting ready for the Lion Dance. |
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Enter the Dragon! |
This year is among Philam Life’s grandest celebrations as it unveiled
one of the biggest dragons --- 350-feet long with a 3-foot diameter ---
that welcomed the Year of the Water Dragon in the Philippines. The
giant dragon led guests to a parade from the Filipino-Chinese Friendship
Arch at the foot of Jones Bridge to the main roads of Binondo including
Quintin Paredes, Ongpin, Alonzo, Soler, Padilla and Dasmariñas before
going back to the arch.
And the dragon eye dotting ceremony...
The parade culminated with a special program that was held along
Quintin Paredes Street facing the Philam Life office. This began with
Philam Life President Mr. Rex Mendoza performing the ‘eye-dotting’
ceremony for the dragon and lion dance heads that symbolizes the
animal’s “awakening” or “coming alive” before being used for
performances to bring good luck and prosperity to all that it
encounters.
“We see prosperity in the year of the Dragon. The Dragon has always been
perceived as the most preferred sign in the Chinese Zodiac. It is
associated with power, excellence and nobility, attributes that Philam
Life also represents with its six decades of market leadership,
financial stability and solid track record of delivering its promises
and long heritage of nation-building pushing forward the country’s
development,” says Mendoza.
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The event was also a perfect opportunity to feature Philam Life’s new
corporate colors and office signage. Previously blue and green, it now
uses a dynamic and vibrant red shade as a reference to its affiliation
with the AIA Group.
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And the release of the 500 balloons!
Five
hundred wishes written on paper and tied to 500 red balloons which were
released to the sky by Philam Life to welcome the Year of the Water
Dragon. Originally, the plan was to release lanterns but due to safety
concerns, balloons were used instead. The releasing of the balloons
symbolizes how Philam Life is committed to being an instrument in
empowering the Filipino to achieve their “sanas,” dreams, and
aspirations. The wishes, dreams or “sana” stories were submitted through
the company’s microsite anongplanomo.com.ph.
“At Philam Life, we don’t just wish for prosperity --- we empower
Filipinos to achieve it,” shares President and CEO Rex A. Mendoza.
And then right after the release of the balloons, there's the dragon dance again and fireworks!
And of course, the night was capped with Chinese cuisine for dinner...
And thematic giveaways!
Our
heritage has been enriched with our interaction from different
cultures, and one of which is from our Chinese brothers and sisters.
'But with or without linkage, I appreciate the cultural contributions of
China not only to the Philippines but to the world. For sure you'll
agree with me that our world would never be the same without pancit,
dimsum, yangchow, porcelain wares, fireworks, the panda bear, Yao Ming
and Zhang Ziyi, among many others! :)
Here are some more of our pics during the celebration! :)
And with that, I greet all of you Xinnian Kuaile! Kung Hei Fat Choi! Kiong Hee Huat Tsai! Here's to a prosperous 2012! :)
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