Archive for the 'history' Category

Makunkuna ti bago

Jeanette on Jun 12th 2007

In the bago, boredom, it seems, breeds creativity. One of our artistic sisters, Emz who is now in Japan penned the following Evolusion of Bago Sayings. Way to go, sis!

Ebolusyon ti makunkuna ti Bago

1900’s:
Kablaaw, kablaaw, denggen yo
dagiti ipukpukkaw, ayeee
ayeee, insinalidummaaay,
Ni Kabunian agited bendisyon,
sidong-ilay…insinalidummaay…

1950’s:
Dadde,dadde, anya mamme,mamme
Supingaran itan, dadde,
Chanum mamme,ayeee,kitaem mamme
ay ay, anya kadi dayta mamme
Chanum chanum, ayeeee…

1970’s:
Chong jeproks ka ngayon aya,
Ay wen a kaasin Apo Dios piman,
Imbag man,ale intayo dita,
Ag-mountain dew dita baba,
Adon sa tsiks dita kantina…

1990’s:
Wow! Ag-Japan ka gayamen a,
Kumusta ngay dyay ading mo
Dita Hongkong, agpa Canada?
Ketno naka-asawat balikbayan
Aggapo’t Amerika…
Grabeeeee, Cooooool man,
Ale blow-out ka man ngarud
Uray cokes lang dita.

2000’s:
Hey you! Me? Yes you!
Bawal ti uminom dita,
Gumatang kat mineral water.
Adu la amin,aggapot bubon
Ti water ko, madik dayta.
Hey, poor ka man, buy this,
Water purifier, safe
And hi-tech, man, gets mo?

2007:
gud am cno gets ng botel me?
ha? wala me alam, ask dem
hey, cno gets ng H2O jug ko?
buy @ 711, den giv me, cam @ 9pm
hey wala me $$$$, meron ka 5K?
haa? #$%^&***&^%%!!! Wala lang…

Filed in Ilocano, Poetry, history | 14 responses so far

Bayanihan

Jeanette on May 7th 2007

One of the great things about a small town is the camaraderie and cooperation found among the people. Where else can you throw a big party like a wedding and everyone comes out to help? What do you remember about times like this?






Photos courtesy of Mrs. Edna Palazzolo.

Filed in Sagunto, history, rituals | 20 responses so far

Dwaya

Jeanette on Apr 25th 2007

Before there was rap, there was the dwaya. This is one of the old Sagunto wedding traditions that I was glad to see still being practiced. Dwaya literally means lullaby. The ritual is performed by the elders from each of the bride and groom’s family; they rock the monetary gifts to sleep along with their well wishes for the bride and groom. This is our Uncle Boy Pascua, who I didn’t realize was so talented. Hehe! You have to realize that these are all extemporaneous, which, for a slow thinker like me, is just amazing.

Please add your thoughts/memories of this ritual in the comments section.

Filed in Sagunto, history, rituals, wedding | 18 responses so far

The Sagunto Star

Jeanette on Apr 9th 2007

Once upon a time, over twenty years ago before the internet and blogs, there was The Sagunto Star which blazed briefly like a comet but left a lasting impression. The Sagunto Star was the first newsletter of Sagunto. It was created by its editor, Mr. Bernardo G. Castillo “as an instrument for peace, harmony, cooperation and progress.”

A couple of issues were unearthed from the ‘baul’ of Mrs. Virginia Simpson along with a letter from which the following quote was pulled:


“Our Sagunto is a breathing, living community. Frustrating at times, impossibly naive, blustering, and amusingly pretentious, it bewilders the outsider or the visitor who is unlucky enough to set foot on it. Say anything you want against this bedlam of a barangay but never it is dull. Everything and everybody is here - the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly, the sinner, the saint, the wise, the foolish, the humble, the proud, the educated, the moron, the know-all and the know-nothing. name it and Sagunto has it. Our Sagunto is the most exciting, the most impossible place to live in.

It is this bittersweet taste of life in our thrilling barrio that we hope to portray, to capture and explore and delineate in the pages of “The Star”. We want our barrio folks to feel proud and loyal to our community, and the outsider friends to know that Sagunto is, for us her sons and daughters, the one and only of its kind, worthy of nothing less than our love and lasting affection.”

Nothing has changed much. Our dear Sagunto is still the same in spirit if not in body and still as “worthy of nothing less than our love and lasting affection.”

I share with you page 2 of the April-May, 1984 issue, editorial page (click on image for a larger, more readable view):

Filed in Sagunto, Sagunto Star, history | 15 responses so far