Hawaii’s
Back yard
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi
Filipino pride is on display
at annual Waikiki festival
and paradeTwo years ago, Bryan Andaya brought a visiting friend to the Filipino Fiesta and Parade. Of Filipino ancestry, she had grown up in Italy and in the mainland United States.
"I distinctly recall how enamored she was at the sheer number and concentration of people of Filipino ancestry who were there," says Andaya, who is chairing this year's 12th annual fiesta. "She was even more taken by the various exhibits that reflected the culture and history of the regions from which her parents were from. The fiesta sparked her interest in learning more about her heritage and culture."
A few months later, Andaya's friend traveled to the Philippines to experience "the real thing." On that trip, she was able to meet many members of her extended family for the first time.
12th annual Filipino Fiesta and Parade
Sponsored by Western UnionPlace: Parade from Fort DeRussy down Kalakaua Avenue to Kapiolani Park, where the cultural festival will be held
Time: 9 a.m. parade Saturday, with the festival to follow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: Free
Call: 680-0451, ext. 6
"As she described it," Andaya says, "it was nothing short of a coming of age."
This year's Filipino Fiesta is set for Saturday. The theme is "Panahon Na!" which means "It's Time!" in Tagalog, one of the major dialects spoken in the Philippines.
"The phrase means that now is the time to unite different groups and generations under one cause, celebrating the diversity and cultural richness of the Philippines," Andaya said. "We are welcoming everyone under the 'Panahon Na!' banner -- residents, Filipino immigrants, visitors from the mainland and abroad -- for a day of fun, food and entertainment."
The fiesta is expected to draw some 20,000 people to Waikiki to mingle with members of Hawaii's third-largest ethnic group. In the 2000 U.S. census, 170,635 local residents, or 14 percent of the state's population, claimed Filipino ethnicity.
The music, dances and cuisine of 13 regions of the Philippines will be on parade Saturday in Waikiki.
FESTIVITIES BEGIN in the morning with an hour-long parade led by grand marshal Kimo Tuyay, the senior setter on the University of Hawaii's volleyball team. The procession will comprise about 1,000 participants in 100 entries, including floats, marching bands and walking units dressed in the traditional costumes of the areas in the Philippines from which they hail.
"The Philippines is a nation of amazing cultural diversity," notes Andaya. "It comprises more than 7,000 islands, 13 regions consisting of 77 provinces and countless cities, towns and villages. Each of the 13 regions has its own distinct history and in many cases its own language. You may find that a person whose native language is Tagalog and a person whose native language is Ilocano may both be from the Philippines, but they are communicating in English so that they can understand each other."
Thus, instead of having a homogeneous population that is tied together by a common language and the same customs and beliefs, Filipinos base their identity on the region they're from. Says Andaya, "The fiesta embraces and celebrates this aspect of our culture by putting all the various regions side by side and making a statement that we are all Filipino no matter which region we are from."
All 13 regions will be showcased at the fiesta's cultural festival, which will be staged at Kapiolani Park following the parade.
Entertainers from Hawaii, the Philippines and the mainland will perform popular contemporary Filipino tunes as well as traditional music, songs and dances.
One troupe will present a dance called "Salacot," which originated in the Tagalog region.
For that number, they'll be wearing their best barong tagalog, the equivalent of a business suit in the Philippines. Much like how the aloha shirt has become standard office attire in Hawaii, so has the barong tagalog become the apparel of choice for executives in the Philippines. Usually made of lightweight fabric, it is a sensible alternative in a country that, like the islands, lies in a warm, humid tropical zone.
Fiesta-goers also can peruse an array of authentic Filipino arts and crafts; savor delicacies such as "kare kare" (oxtails in a creamy peanut-flavored sauce), "pinakbet" (a flavorful pork and vegetable medley) and "bagoong" (fermented fish); and learn about each region's way of life, largely determined by its history and natural features.
For example, because it often is hit by strong earthquakes, the Ilocos region in Northern Luzon is known for its distinctive style of architecture, earthquake baroque, which is characterized by extremely thick stone walls.
People from Ilocos will be on hand to show photographs of earthquake baroque architecture, discuss how these buildings were constructed and why they are able to withstand the onslaught of violent winds and rains.
There also will be a health fair featuring nearly two dozen booths and displays focusing on everything from long-term care to nutrition to careers in the medical field.
THE FILIPINO FIESTA was founded in 1993 by Eddie Flores Jr., the owner of L&L Drive-Inn and a board member and chairman emeritus of the Filipino Community Center (see sidebar), which spearheads the event each year.
"Mr. Flores played a key role in the early stages of the Filipino community's dream of building a center it could call its own," says Andaya. "Before the building could be constructed, he realized they needed to rally together to make it a reality. The fiesta provided a means to unite the Filipino community behind the dream."
Andaya says he would take his family to the fiesta even if he were not of Filipino ancestry, because "it is a great way to have fun and enjoy an awesome variety of food, entertainment and arts and crafts of the Philippines. It also presents a wonderful opportunity to learn about the Filipino culture and to interact with people from the Filipino community.
"For those of us who are of Filipino ancestry, it is a way to show our pride in being Filipino and to share what makes the Philippines special."
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Filipino Community Center in
Waipahu continues to helpDedicated on June 11, 2002, the nonprofit Filipino Community Center was built with the aim of providing social, economic and educational services, and nurturing and preserving the culture and customs of Hawaii's Filipino community.
The three-story, 50,000-square-foot Spanish-style building located in Waipahu at 94-428 Mokuola St., is the biggest Filipino community center outside the Philippines.
The center houses meeting rooms, a ballroom, 10 commercial tenants and the open-air Consuelo Courtyard, named after philanthropist Consuelo Zobel Alger, who dedicated her life to helping women and children in Hawaii and the Philippines.
Slated for completion later this year are a new kitchen and state-of-the-art technology center.
In just a few years, FilCom has hosted hundreds of public events, including job fairs, training seminars for nurses and art classes for elementary school children.
Open to the community at large -- you do not have to be Filipino to use its facilities -- it also is a popular venue for private functions such as weddings, receptions and meetings.
Fees are determined by the size of the group, the purpose of the event and whether the organizers are individuals or nonprofit, government or private-sector entities. Call 680-0451 or check out the Web site www.filcom.org for more information.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based free-lance writer and Society of American Travel Writers award winner.
