If you’ve never heard about pamamanhikan before, it’s a word that describes a Filipino tradition where a groom-to-be goes to the bride-to-be’s house and asks her family for her hand in marriage. Then his family sponsors the food that would be shared among those who attended the pamamanhikan (family members only or with extended relatives) over lunch or dinner.
And experiencing it firsthand, from the preparations until the day of pamamanhikan, I can’t help but appreciate the richness and abounding generosity of this Filipino tradition.
Seeing how my family with the family of my soon-to-be husband interacted with one another and moved around a shared space, I began to see how once different circles of people start to overlap. And the unity of families fills my heart in awe about how this basic unit of community really makes life beautiful.
It’s true that Filipinos have a strong sense of family.
And I’m glad to be a Filipino.
jessa 