Senate Probe:NBN-ZTE Controversy

WATCH HERE: Video of Lozada's Testimony in the Senate

Pinoy Fever: Edu Manzano & his Papaya Dance Craze

At work, at play, the Philippines grooves to Papaya beat
From Reuters

MANILA (Reuters Life!) - Prisoners, supermarket workers, even the U.S. Ambassador: none are immune to the "Papaya" dance craze that is inspiring the Philippines to gyrate to its beat.

"It is a silly dance," said Edu Manzano, the TV game show host and former actor responsible for making the "Papaya" a nationwide hit by featuring it on his show.

"I call it silly because it does not take any degree of expertise," said Manzano, who is also the Philippines' anti-piracy czar. READ MORE>>>

Philippine Arts Festival 2008

"February is National Arts Months"

NCAA Announcement
Download Calendar of Events

NCCA Penguin Gallery of Schedule


Click the image for a larger view

Pabasa: "Ang Mahal na Pasyon"

Here the "Mambabasa" (readers or the singers) adapted the melody of "Jocelyn ng Baliwag, Magandang Diwata", a kundiman circa 1800.

The kundiman is a love song and/or a patriotic song that generally expresses lamentation, a longing, a plea, or sorrow. Influenced by the culture of the times and the temper of the Filipino, the kundiman's purpose was never trivial and ordinary. During the Spanish colonial regime, the kundiman, "Jocelyn ng Baliwag" was disguised as an expression of love for a lady from Bulacan; it was actually an expression of love for the motherland and the hope of setting her free from the Spanish conquistadores.

The kundiman's beat is triple time, in minor key, and its lyrics are poetic, swaying smoothly with either a silent note or a mezzo forte. It is usually sung by a highly trained and skilled vocalist, accompanied by an equally trained and skilled string orchestra, or a pianist, a violinist, and/or a guitarist. No; ordinary vocalists and musicians cannot perform the kundiman. It requires more than just a singing voice and the ability to pluck some strings. If other nations have their opera, the Philippines has its kundiman, uniquely its own.



Take Note: These videos are taken by an amateur videographer, anyway big thanks, efforts highly appreciated!

Pinoy Catholics flock to church for Ash Wednesday ritual

Devotees flock to church for Ash Wednesday

Malate Church



Quiapo Church

"Remember that you art dust and unto dust you shalt return" Genesis 3:19

• The modern practice in Roman Catholic churches nowadays, as the ashes are being administered, is for the priest to say something like Turn away from sin and believe the gospel.
  
  Keeping the mark
  At some churches the worshippers leave with the mark still on their forehead so that they carry the sign of the cross out into the world.
  
  At other churches the service ends with the ashes being washed off as a sign that the participants have been cleansed of their sins.
  
  Symbolism of the ashes
  The marking of their forehead with a cross made of ashes reminds each churchgoer that:
  
  Death comes to everyone
  They should be sad for their sins
  They must change themselves for the better
  God made the first human being by breathing life into dust, and without God, human beings are nothing more than dust and ashes
  The shape of the mark and the words used are symbolic in other ways:
  
  The cross is a reminder of the mark of the cross made at baptism
  The phrase often used when the ashes are administered reminds Christians of the doctrine of original sin
  The cross of ashes may symbolise the way Christ's sacrifice on the cross as atonement for sin replaces the Old Testament tradition of making burnt offerings to atone for sin. MORE>>>

Catholics mark Ash Wednesday tomorrow

Gong Xi Fat Choy

The wording reads: "Gong Xi Fat Choy" - literally it means "Congratulations and Be Prosperous". This is a common New Year Greetings in Chinese tradition :).

Binondo residents get busy on eve of Chinese New Year



Chinese practices combined with Catholic faith in Philippines

MANILA: Around a million Chinese living in the Philippines are busy during this time of the year preparing for the Lunar New Year celebrations. Combining Chinese practices with the country's dominant Roman Catholic faith, hundreds of Chinese Catholics gathered for a special thanksgiving mass to welcome the Year of the Rat. Parishioners came in various shades of red and even priests were vested in red. Chinese liturgical songs that were translated from Filipino hymns reverberated throughout the church. Red Chinese lanterns added to the festive atmosphere as the congregation prayed for peace, joy and prosperity in the new year.

The liturgy ended with the Catholic Rite of Ancestor Veneration. One by one, parishioners came forward to light incense for their beloved dead.

Father Aristotle Dy, Executive Secretary, Chinese-Filipino Apostolate, said: "It's important for the overseas Chinese in the Philippines to continue preserving their culture, to have a link to their culture of origin. The church is able to play a role in that effort to preserve the culture by integrating the celebration of the most important Chinese festival within the celebration of the mass.

"It's very important to show people that there's no dichotomy or conflict between Chinese culture and the Catholic Christian faith. That's a problem we've had in history, where people considered the Catholic religion or the Christian faith as a foreign religion. We are trying to show people that the Catholic faith is universal."

After the mass, both young and old crowded for their share of lucky hong paos.

This union of the Chinese culture and the Catholic Christian faith have contributed to a much more meaningful celebration of the Lunar New Year for the Chinese in the Philippines.

Catholic missionaries are constantly finding ways to help the Chinese faithful take pride in their Chinese cultural heritage, and to find ways of integrating it with their Catholic faith.

That is why even colourful lions and dragons first paid respect at the sanctuary altar before proceeding with their spectacular performance.

Related Videos:Chinese practices combined with Catholic faith in Philippines

Watch Video Clip: "Dragon Dance"

What's in store for the Year of the Rat



For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV