New Year culture is a global phenomenon that involves the getting together of family members, merrymaking, and feasting, as well as enjoying fireworks, as Dec. 31 closes with the coming in of Jan. 1st.
Making noise is normal and justified. But it does not encourage firing guns, as what some idiots did despite the gun ban, then posted their photos on Facebook to brag… or be caught.
For most people, New Year celebration is a thanksgiving, for having survived the past year, and a declaration for making it again in the subsequent year.
It is one of the most festive holidays of the year for Filipinos and, perhaps, the most costly, rationalized by their desire to be happy and, hopefully, to remain in that state throughout the year.
Amidst the changes how the New Year is being celebrated now, compared to that during my childhood, as influenced or determined by certain technological developments, there are still traditional beliefs and practices that prevail today. But these are cultural elements that I consider to have become ritualistic, or which have lost their traditional meanings to some Filipinos in urban settings.
One of these New Year practices is palihi, or the act of inaugurating something with proper ceremonies or the use of “magical” ingredients to achieve desired results.
But those who have forgotten or missed the constructed meanings or functions of certain palihi uncritically remark that these are part of Filipino New Year tradition.
But what really is behind the New Year palihi? Practicing palihi is believed to attract good fortunes and blessings. This is done by imitating or displaying some desirable conditions and materials during the first day of the year to produce priming effects.
For instance, children are made to jump by past midnight as high as they could to become taller; or to pull their noses to become longer. But it is not clear to them as to how it is going to happen.
Basic to all the New Year palihi is associated with food. Feasting or having lots of food on the table during media noche symbolizes hope for a prosperous year ahead.
Some homemakers fill up containers of basic needs such as rice, sugar, salt, beans to ensure abundance. My wife never skips this practice.
This practice explains why all supermarkets and grocery stores are invaded by customers a day before the New Year.
But these establishments are closed on Jan. 1st when spending is avoided, with the belief that the same behavior of spending will prevail throughout the year.
Receiving foods and gifts, rather than giving, is also preferred by some — unlike during Christmas — because the receiving means having more fortunes to come in the new year.
There are also certain food preferences. Pancit, bihon, and spaghetti are always present on the table because these symbolize long life. Sticky foods such as ibus, baye-baye, puto, and biko or anything made with glutinous rice, common in Bayawan City, are also intended to keep fortune.
Similarly, the collection and display of 12 round fruits symbolize prosperity for every month of the year — a practice which must have been adopted from the Chinese.
While firecracker explosions are less heard during Christmas Eve, people can hardly be stopped from doing this during New Year, except in places with strong-willed mayors who ban it.
Explosions are taken not only as expressions of joy, but are likewise intended to drive away evil spirits or bad luck–another Chinese influence.
But is it not a great misfortune to those who lose their homes to fire, die or be hospitalized due to illegal firecrackers or the indiscriminate firing of guns?
Others believe that leaving windows wide open welcomes good luck, although this is not good for asthmatic family members because of the smoke from firecracker explosions.
The wearing of polka-dotted clothes signifying prosperity — because circles symbolize money — is never forgotten by many, including my wife who has been doing this for more than two decades now.
This belief is similar to placing coins in pockets, on top of tables, and inside drawers as their display or their sound attracts more wealth to come. Having wallets filled with cash, preferably new bills, is believed to bring the same result.
These are just among the many variants of New Year palihi similarly aimed either to promote or prevent certain desirable or undesirable conditions, respectively, that will ultimately result to aspired prosperity during the year.
However, one may ask: how exactly do these practices produce the desired results? I must admit I do not have the answers to this question, none for now, at least.
Nonetheless, aside from the fact that palihi adds joy and excitement to the New Year celebration, its persistence in Filipino culture may be explained by the belief on suwerte (luck) and malas (bad luck).
The attribution of success and failure in life to supernatural phenomenon, and not to one’s abilities and limitations, respectively, is perhaps common among those who seriously practice palihi.
As a cultural element, there is no problem about palihi, provided that something is being done to achieve what are desired for within the capacities and resources of an individual.
Humans need some psychological and social drivers to perform better, and palihi serves as a cultural reinforcement to these drivers to further boost self-confidence.
This is similar to the assertion that prayers are not enough. And that God will only help those who help themselves.
Therefore, palihi is not enough. One has to act to achieve what one dreams for. It has only a symbolic function that projects what peoples’ dreams are in life that should drive them to work harder and with direction.
And to achieve these dreams, they have to plan, equip themselves, and work on their plans with more confidence and determination.
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Author’s email: ikeOracion@lycos.com
