Pagentry

Crystal and her auntie

Every municipal (small city) and barangay (town within a small city) holds its own fiesta during the year.  Usually connected with a patron saint, it has roots in Catholic tradition and even deeper roots in pagan forms of worship.  Some commemorate an even older tribal history, like the ati-atihan, when the aboriginal leaders welcomed the first strangers from abroad—visitors from Borneo. Most celebrations include drumming in parades and worshipping of an icon of a saint at church, and ALL involve feeding everyone as much as possible in every home.  Filipinos often spend much of the year planning for, preparing for and paying off from last year’s fiesta.  Because they are usually connected to a saint, and those saints all have different days, there are celebrations going on in different neighbor hoods much of the time.  As we drive from one end of our area to another, we often pass by at least one such event on any given day.

We have been invited to participate in a few of these, the main event of which, like I said is eating—so we are well suited and trained for participation.  You go with your host to say their auntie’s house and eat a ton—only the best, which always means lechon baboy and diniguan (spit roasted pig and blood pudding). Then you go to a different relative’s house and do the same.  The menu varies but little—the items mentioned above, plus some buko halo halo salad (mixed canned fruit, coconut meat scraped from young coconuts, canned condensed milk and boxed cream) pancit (like ramen noodles with tiny bits of cabbage and meat) of course rice, and various rice toppings, the most common of which is pork or chicken adobo—the Filipino stew cooked with vinegar.

 

Crystal, her mom, Joy, and brother Joshua

So last night we attended one of these events that we knew of but had not yet seen.  Each fiesta usually has a pageant held with it—sometimes for men, sometimes for teens, sometimes for children.  It is usually sponsored by the barangay government or a wealthy patron from the town. A member of our branch invited us to come to the pageant for Crossing Silab fiesta because her younger sister was competing for miss teen Crossing Silab. A “crossing” is smaller than a barangay.  It is what it sounds like a small road that crosses the highway—but some of them become a hub for congregating and of course another reason for a fiesta each year.

Well she told us to arrive at 6:30 for the beginning of the show at 7:00.  We decided to go with Filipino time, so we aimed at 7, but she was frantically texting us to come by 6:30.  We arrived at the venue—an open field next to the sea.  It was strewn with lights of the caliber of a rock concert!!  There were huge scaffolds holding spots and disco lighting and monstrously huge speakers.  The stage too was immense, though rather makeshift. We met the patron of this event who in Indonesian and lives in Manila but comes to Visayas for weekends—rather rich I gather.

another candidate

and another

and another

Joy, her mom, her sister, her daughter and the make up guy

Well these pageants are something else—no matter whether the contestants are 6 years old kids or grown women or men, the hoopla is astonishing—though this was our first, we have heard of and seen pictures of others. In fact, two returned missionaries in our branch, brothers, just took the titles of Mr. San Jose and 1^st runner up.  American events have nothing on this crowd.  Trainers and makeup artists are hired, elaborate costumes are rented, dance routines are practiced, talents displayed, etc. Some of the pageant candidates have to raise money for charity, a la Mr. Grizzly in Ashland, some are rewarded money for scholarship; it just depends on the town. ALL, without exception, of the people back stage at the events are gay men. Some are flamboyant in makeup and dresses, others understated, with just a simple t-shirt over their bra.  All mince. They are referred to as a group.  “We have to ask the gays . . .” or, “tell the gays about the lighting problem.” They are the movers and shakers of the pageant—a vital part of any self-respecting event. This part I know because several of these men have shown up to do make-up and hair and training at any church event that requires any pageantry. A couple of them are church members, so they volunteer and spice up say New Beginnings, or the Christmas Activity with a flair for drama and style.

As we sat and waited for the show to begin, the music got louder, the beat more visceral, the lyrics more vile and then came the music videos shown on a screen the size of Luzon. We averted our eyes while all around us, including the children, laughed. We were plotting how to leave, when our friend, Sister Joy, who had brought us, saw our discomfort, voiced that she too though it was ugly, then without a word of encouragement from us, this young mother marched to the DJ, told him she had kids there and what he was showing was not funny but ugly, and he turned it off!! This was Crystal’s mom.  We were so proud of her.

yet another

We did still leave, but we were so glad that Sister Joy had the courage to take a stand against base, demeaning yuckiness.  We heard later that her sister received a barangay council award. Yeah! Our presence there was positive, because we got to meet the mom who has forbidden her young daughter from being taught, though she wants to be baptized. Maybe our support at the event will soften the mom's heart toward these crazy Mormons. (I hope you see the irony intended in that ).

Oh update.  We just spoke to the Elders. They said that at church today (we were in another branch) they were told the ban on teaching her daughter is lifted cause the mom liked us!! Yeah! And we are invited to her birthday. This beautiful award winner is turning14 only!  How quickly things can change.