Jungle Flashbacks

Nipa Jungles, Indang

This photo is not very old, in fact, I took it just 10 years ago with my already digital camera. But I don't know why it just finished this way, and when I saw this on my old files, I thought I'd share it to you all. The town of Indang is located in the upland part of Cavite, and up until now, it has maintained quite a big portion of it's natural rainforest and jungle areas just like this one. Most of them are privately owned and it's very nice that they choose to maintain it's jungle feel even if they build their houses within them.

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Cavite Cowboys - Timeless Thursdays

Photo from my father's friend, Uncle Ed Pacia

Back in the 70's, this photo was taken on a grand meet up day at the beach of the Cavite Sector of the Cowboy Radio Communication Inc. I asked my father (the one in the red polo) what this group is, he said that they are one of the first (if not the very first) Citizen Band Radio Service group in the province of Cavite. My father said a lot of his friends from here in General Trias started their friendship through the Cowboy CB group. This maybe taken half a century ago but they all look so young as if it was just taken yesterday! Most of these men are either still living in Cavite or now in the United States.

Special Thanks to Uncle ED Pacia for letting me share his amazing timeless photograph.

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Balikbayan Box

Balikbayan Box, General Trias

A large number of Caviteños in the early 70's and 80's migrated to the United States. Some of which are my Aunts and Uncles who started their lives in California and built their family there. Time to time, my grandparents would visit them there and with every trip, they come home with a lot of gifts for the whole family here at home. Here, my grandma shows her almost exploding box on the photo.

These boxes are called "Balikbayan" boxes. Balik in Filipino/Tagalog means back and bayan means town/country so it literally means back to home box. 

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I Carry You In My Heart

Saint Jude Parish, Trece Martirez

Always when I was a kid,

You always carry me in your arm.

Guarded and guided my every step,

Pick me up when there is harm.

Today, exactly, I turn Thirty,

Feeling grateful - though we are apart.

For I know you are always with me,

'Coz I carry you in my heart.

My Blog friends, may I share with you a special Birthday Post on my Personal Blog. Just click on the link to visit it: Stevenson Que Blog

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This post is part of Timeless Thursdays. You can click on the link below to visit or join this linky and share your Timeless treasures whether they may be photos or thoughts.

Filipino-Chinese Families of Cavite

Tan Family of Fujian - General Trias

In Cavite, there are a number of Chinese-Filipino families that have been living in the province for more than a century now. One of which is my own family which is shown on this old photo above. My Grandfather (Rightmost) is from Fujian Province and he traveled all the way to Singapore and then to the Philippines when he was still a teenager during the early 30's. Then he met my Grandmother (on his right at front) and they started a family in Malabon (now General Trias) in Cavite. My grandmother was a Filipino which makes my father (upper right of my grandfather) half Filipino. The man on the leftmost is my Grandfather's brother and his family.

I have always been so proud of how my grandparents raised our whole family from humble beginnings walking miles and miles to start their business which then became one of the leading hardware stores in the province during the 80's to the late 90's. Both my grandma and grandpa had passed away but their legacy will never be forgotten not just by us their family, but also all other people in our city who's lives where touched by theirs.

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Folk Dancers

This photo was taken 20 years ago from my school yearbook. In here, you can see us wearing our traditional Filipino clothing. For men, it is the Barong Tagalog - Dark colored slacks (usually black) and long sleeved shirts made from Pineapple fiber. The ladies are wearing long floral dresses with matching panuelo or a shawl made of crisp fabric to create the shape above.

Both are influenced by the Spanish colonial era of the Philippines and has been chosen to be our national costume, thus used during Philippine heritage events and folk dances in schools and events. Unlike the ladies' Maria Clara dresses, the men's Barong Tagalog is also worn on formal events by men especially during weddings.

This photo is related to an article I posted today on my personal blog about my life-long friends. Do check it out on Stevenson Que Blog.

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The Long Table

Long Table, General Trias

One of the things I miss most about our family gatherings is what we call as the "Long Table". This is quite common on Chinese-Filipino families here in the province of Cavite. A very long table is being set up at the yard or at the driveway, lined up with chairs on opposite lengths of it. 

The central chair at the end of the long table, or as called in Spanish/Filipino as the cabisera, is reserved for the head of the family which is usually the Grandparents. Aunts, Uncles, cousins and family friends happily enjoy their meal in the company of each other and even if it looks like one big table, a lot of conversations are happening at the very same time! Fun times. Question is, will traditions like these be part of the new normal?

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Noveleta Karakol - Timeless Thursdays

Town Karakol, Noveleta

Happy people of Noveleta in their celebration of a holy procession of their Santa Cruz or their Holy Cross.

The Karakol is a traditional parade in some towns in Cavite wherein Catholics do a procession of the Santa Crus or the Holy Cross and a specific Karakol music is being danced by the faithful. This is traced back to the Spanish Era wherein people of Cavite, mostly farmers, perform this ritual to ask for God's grace and mercy through the form of rain so that the crops will live through the summer season.

Usually, the karakol is performed around the town proper days before the Town Fiesta. In Noveleta, the karakol should have been performed in this week in preparation to their town fiesta which is happening this Sunday, May 3rd. 

As per our reader, this is Mr. Jesus Didal, one of the caretakers of the cross

All photos on this post are credited to the owner and not to the author or this blog.

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This post is part of Timeless Thursdays. You can click on the link below to visit or join this linky and share your Timeless treasures whether they may be photos or thoughts.