After the couple has decided to marry, the first order of
business is the pamanhikan, where the groom and his parents
visit the bride's family to ask for her hand in marriage.
Wedding plans are often made at this time, including a
discussion of the budget and guest list. Don't be surprised if
the groom-to-be is expected to run some errands or help out
around the bride's house. This tradition is called paninilbihan,
where the suitor renders service to his future wife's family to
gain their approval.
The Wedding Outfits
The white wedding dress has become popular in the last hundred
years or so with America's influence in the Philippines. Before
that, brides wore their best dress, in a festive color or even
stylish black, to celebrate a wedding. Orange blossom bouquets
and adornments were a must during the turn of the last century.
For men, the barong tagalog is the traditional Filipino formal
wear.
It is a cool, almost transparent, embroidered shirt, made from
silky pina or jusi, two native ecru fabrics. It is worn
untucked, over black pants, with a white t-shirt underneath.
These days, a Filipino groom might wear the conventional black
tux, but Filipino male wedding guests will usually show up in
their finest barongs.
The Ceremony
In pre-colonial days, a wedding ceremony lasted three days. On
the first day, the bride and groom were brought to the house of
a priest or babaylan, who joined their hands over a plate of raw
rice and blessed the couple. On the third day, the priest
pricked the chests of both bride and groom and drew a little
blood. Joining their hands, they declared their love for each
other three times. The priest then fed them cooked rice from the
same plate and gave them a drink of some of their blood mixed
with water. Binding their hands and necks with a cord, he
declared them married. The majority of Filipino weddings are now
Catholic weddings, but some native traditions remain. Most have
special "sponsors" who act as witnesses to the marriage. The
principal sponsors could be godparents, counselors, a favorite
uncle and aunt, even a parent. Secondary sponsors handle special
parts of the ceremony, such as the candle, cord and veil
ceremonies. Candle sponsors light two candles, which the bride
and groom use to light a single candle to symbolize the joining
of the two families and to invoke the light of Christ in their
married life. Veil sponsors place a white veil over the bride's
head and the groom's shoulders, a symbol of two people clothed
as one. Cord sponsors drape the yugal (a decorative silk cord)
in a figure-eight shape--to symbolize everlasting fidelity--over
the shoulders of the bride and groom. The groom gives the bride
13 coins, or arrhae, blessed by the priest, as a sign of his
dedication to his wife's well-being and the welfare of their
future children.
The Food
The Filipino wedding feast is elaborate. One feast celebrated
at the turn of the last century involved these foods: First was
served cold vermicelli soup. The soup was followed by meats of
unlimited quantity--stewed goat, chicken minced with garlic,
boiled ham, stuffed capon, roast pork and several kinds of fish.
There were no salads, but plenty of relishes, including red
peppers, olives, green mango pickles and crystallized fruits.
For dessert, there were meringues, baked custard flan, coconut
macaroons and sweetened seeds of the nipa plant.
About The Author: Rafi Michael Babylon Productions Wedding
Center Wedding Photography & Video Productions Toronto we
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