the philippines is the largest catholic country in asia in terms of population, the third largest in the world. my parents, especially my mother, was a devout catholic. like most filipino homes, we had an 'altar' in a corner of our one-room house. my father had made a wooden cross for my mother with a crucified statue that he salvaged from a burned down church (my sister had brought that cross with her when she came to canada). along with the wooden cross, there was a framed picture of the sacred heart and the virgin mother. flower garlands were brought home to decorate the altar along with a small candle. my mother also would hang her rosary on the cross sometimes or place it on the sill by the wall along with her prayer book. every night, we had to kneel on the floor as we recite the rosary with our mother before going to bed.
most small filipino stores have a small 'altar' where catholic religious icons are displayed. the most popular is the statue of the 'santo niño' or the holy child. traditionally, the holy child is dressed in an elaborate 'kingly' get up, of either red or green velvet with 'gold' trims, with a large gleaming crown on its head of long wavy tresses and holding a cross for a sceptre on one hand and an orb representing the earth on the other. invariably, the owners would dress the statue with a native costume, native being the filipino formal wear, or the traditional farmer's garb. another popular statue is that of the virgin mother also in various garments, either as queen of heaven or as the mother of jesus. flowers and candles are always part of the set up. this practice is almost similar to the chinese practice of having a small altar of a diety where actual food is offered so that such diety would grant the business the flourish and profits the business owner desires.
whenever the grandsons come for their bi-weekly visits, they always look forward to going for breakfast on sunday mornings. their favourite place is a filipino restaurant which is about a 21-minute drive north east of where we live. the boys like to order the typical filipino breakfast of garlic fried rice and scrambled eggs. this is a capture of the little altar at the filipino restaurant, on top of the beverage fridge, behind the cashier, showing three holy child statues, one of the virgin mother as the lady of fatima and a statue of the virgin mother holding the little jesus.
fitting word for today's celebration and festivities.
@summerfield Actually Mom's uncle died in the Baatan Death March, Dads brother died on Corrigedor and Dad was there as a morse code operator in Manila starting in around 1954
@pandorasecho - whew! i was still a baby in 1954 so i guess the 'date' thing wasn't possible. hehehe. and i thank your family for the sacrifice they have done for freedom. those are interesting facts - i've been writing about my father's experiences during the war and i could not find any american who could give me a snippet of their actual experience. thank you, dixie.
@myautofocuslife - thank you, livia. just don't listen to me when it comes to ducks, mallards or loons. :-)
I love your stories and this one is no exception. This is especially lovely and meaningful enlarged! No matter where, in our home or business, it's a great reminder to have our Maker near us ... protecting us. If all else, fails I reach for and hold the cross around my neck.
ooopsy! just saw this today. sorry, ladies, my bad!
@sunnygreenwood - yes, something they look forward to when they come, and something to remember us by in years to come. thank you, anne.
@olivetreeann - thank you, ann. it is always nice to learn something about other culture and how sometimes we find they are the same as ours but at the same time different.
@crickle1969 - thank you, chrystal. glad you like it.
@sticksandstones - thank you, kiddo. are you back in seattle now? saw some of your pics, they're quite good. i shall visit your album definitely before the weekend is over.
@cscecil - that's the reason i chose this photo - for the coca-cola and the price board above it. thank you, CS.
@inertie - thank you, pinar.
@myautofocuslife - thank you, livia. just don't listen to me when it comes to ducks, mallards or loons. :-)
@karenann - thank you, karenann. much appreciated.
@sunnygreenwood - yes, something they look forward to when they come, and something to remember us by in years to come. thank you, anne.
@olivetreeann - thank you, ann. it is always nice to learn something about other culture and how sometimes we find they are the same as ours but at the same time different.
@crickle1969 - thank you, chrystal. glad you like it.