Sunday, June 5, 2011

Pista sa Nayon (Filipino "Town Festival")

Yesterday was the annual "Pista sa Nayon" ("Town Festival" in the Filipino language) in our town, which my family and I look forward to every year. Normally, it's warm at this time of the year and some years have been almost unbearably hot. You'll always find a couple of wise vendors at this waterfront event that sell parasols to those patrons avoiding the sun. (Call it SPF-consciousness, if you will, but my culture is still primarily colonial-conscious and "white skin" is still highly prized). This year, someone made a huge profit selling UMBRELLAS and not for shade but for cover from the downpour we experienced.

Brief patches of sun

Seriously, on our way there, I almost had to pull over as I could barely see through the storm. We hadn't planned to attend but when I checked the hourly forecast, it was predicted to be only cloudy in the last couple hours of the event. LIES! My dad suggested we pass by just to see the event from our car, with El and cousin Ev riding in the back. By the time we got to the Ferry Building parking lot, the skies had parted for a bit. But man, the field was like a marsh! Our feet were immediately drenched. Some folks wore rain boots while some innovative ones improvised with the resources they had.

Plastic baggy shoe covers and plastic bag-lined boots!


Most of the tents were unoccupied but there were still quite a few people out at the event. The main attraction had yet to perform-- some big stars of the Philippines. My dad was quick to get to the front when Imelda Papin performed and of course, when TFC shirts were being thrown out into the crowd.

We were happily surprised to meet up with my Uncle's family. It's always great to see my little cousins who aren't so little anymore, except for Ash, the teeniest one who is only a year older than El. (Odd it is that she is Ev's "auntie" by relation but is one year younger than him). While the toddlers ran around the wet field and the older cousins chased after them, Uncle E, Auntie N, and Dad watched the show. There was only a 10-minute period when a contestant from the audience came on stage to sing and then it began to rain. We joked that it was due to his bad signing. =)

El with Uncle B and Auntie C (my little cousins)

After the last performance, we all headed to Chevy's for dinner. Our families rarely go out to eat, especially together, so it was really a nice treat for all of us. We split some yummy fajita platters and the kids enjoyed coloring in their kid menus. It was a great way to end a wonderful but very wet day! =)

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