KIDS PLAY. The hassle of flood and traffic that exasperated commuters across Metro Cebu has not touched these kids in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City who happily spent their rainy Sunday morning playing basketball in a rain pond. | CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Let’s have a quick rundown on memory lane.
Remember when summer was the best season ever?
Because school is out, no homework, no alarms and you can play all day every day.
Here in the Philippines there are quite a number of distinct practices by Filpino kids during summer and here’s a list of them:
Staying away from home— well, this may be practiced in some countries, but here in the Philippines, your summer would not be complete if you won’t be able to live the province life with your grandparents or relatives. Living away from the city is like hitting two birds with one stone. You get to live away from pollution and appreciate the simple life in the province.
Selling things— remember the time when you get all so excited to do some business with your friends from the neighborhood like selling mais con yelo, halo-halo or some iced candy? This is one way for you to earn for the summer and also hang out with your friends.
Attend Flores de Mayo festivities — yes! This is the best part of summer to some because they will have the chance to play as angels during the Flores de Mayo Masses and will be able to participate in the Santacruzan by the end of the month. A chance to learn Latin songs during the masses is added bonus.
Read more: Flores De Mayo
Circumcision— yikes! every Filipino boy knows this that once you reach a certain age, you will have to be circumcised. That means weeks of not being able to play outside and having to wear loose clothes all the time so that you won’t hit that spot the hurts the most. Ouch!
Read more: ‘Circumcision season’: Philippine rite puts boys under pressure
Playing out every day— when the clock strikes 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and when the sun does not hurt that much, this is the time children get out and play! This is where they start playing tumbang preso, patintero, or Chinese garter until the sun sets at around 6 p.m. This may sound clichė or that playing outside is not that extraordinary, but believe it or not, playing outside during summertime hits differently to Filipino kids.
This summer may not be like the previous summer we spent or what we had in mind, but let’s just save up all our energy from this summer to do the best things for the summers to come! /dbs