December Weddings
Today I almost missed attending a friend’s wedding (Villafuerte-Espinosa) due to sore throat. Since I’ve prepared for this day for quite some time so I can see this normally rugged and casual person marching down the isle in barong tagalog (Filipino native male costume), I dragged my aching throat & drove my way to Tagaytay.
I arrived at the Ina ng Laging Saklolo Church late, but not late enough to be included in the photo op (which I swear is the most stressful part of any wedding. Imagine one had to endure and maintain the perfect smile frame by frame, regardless of mood or condition) with other friends and co-workers. Indeed, he wore a barong but still sporting the ponytail just like I did when I got married.
As if by reflex, after the entire photo ops were done, I with a couple of friends sped to the reception (lunch) area at Lake Garden Hotel and arrived there first. And it just dawned on me that I could win an Amazing Race series if all the pit stops are event reception centers. I’ve done this a couple of weddings already.
The tables and buffet meals were set at a picturesque view of the Taal Lake. The weather was good and the view of the volcano was a perfect background for the bride, groom and all the guests which were either smiling, chatting, munching and drinking – Iced Tea at this time of the day. It would have been more perfect if there were liquors to somehow warm up our body from the chilly atmosphere. But then again, I got the damn sore throat.
Unfortunately, I have to leave early to catch up with my doctor’s appointment. We will drink to that someday.
Another wedding I attended this month was my in-law’s 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration.
It was a celebration my wife, her siblings and other relatives had been preparing for almost two years. The funds were raised and saved regularly to ease up on the expense. Each one also got assumed responsibility (work term) to accomplish. I got to donate a Lechon (roasted pork) that was never served. But it’s another story.
And so, D-day came.
Although the weather last Dec 9 was flip-flopping, the folks in Batangas got things going by very early morning. The bayanihan spirit, which is not uncommon in their place during every celebration, kicked off in high gear.
(Disclaimer: just this next part is not for vegans. Sorry. ) The guys slaughtered the pig in the wee hours of the morning and prepared the pork parts and cuts for various recipes.
The ladies (and lolas) were busy chopping and getting the spices ready, while the rest did the cooking. The smoke-filled dirty kitchen (no pun intended) was bustling with activity. The aroma of typical Batangueno food reaches every corner of the place. And almost everyone else was getting back and forth to get things done.
Despite the threat of rain, the wedding started on time in the local chapel. The guys wore barong tagalog, while the ladies had the aptly golden yellow colored dress. The little girls (granddaughters) had butterfly wings on them. It was a festive sight and I felt the excitement and joy of all the family members radiating from their smile.
After the ceremony and photo ops (did I just say photo ops again?), inay po and itay po went with us (well, our humble car was the bridal car. No choice but to be there first) as we drove back to the reception area which was set at the basketball court just outside their house (another typical Filipino setting).
Unfortunately, the wedding entourage tables, which were set under the shelter of a tarpaulin, got flooded still, due to the uneven portion of the ground (a remnant of the last typhoon Milenyo). The show (in this case, eating) must go on so some guys who are still in barong, neatly ironed pants and shiny shoes armed themselves with dust pans and broom sticks to clear the area so that the rest may be seated.
The rest of the night went on to be rainy. Everyone had to wade in inches of flood to get back to their tables to eat. Others had to take shelter under their own plates while lining at the buffet area for food. But as most people would believe (depending on the situation. A rain during a funeral would be taken as “the Heavens mourning the death of”), the rain is a sign of blessing. In this case, so be it.
For it is indeed a blessing for my in-laws to reach 50 years of being together. A blessing for their children to have such parents; for their grandchildren to have been able to see and be with their lolo and lola. And of course a blessing for us in-laws to have someone who trusted us with their children whom we had as either husband or wife.
For me I have nothing but praises for them. Being together for this long is a feat itself. It takes more than just patience, love and understanding to hold on to such relationship. In these days of loose moral values, fast pace life, consumerism and materialism, marriage is always threatened and compromised. It is always easy and sometimes mushy to say, but it’s a fact that God had to be in the center of one’s marriage or family to get over with every trial the “new” world gives. No more No less.
To everyone who had or is just about to have their wedding this December, my congratulations and best wishes to all of you. I’m sure your Christmas and New Year will never be cold.
