Children's Parties

Being invited to a birthday party was like a rite of passage. It was our first social encounters usually with our mums and dads coming in later just to pick us up so basically it was our first time to be on our own. It was not a problem in a Filipino birthday party for everyone would probably be a cousin or a playmate from your neighbourhood. No Filipino party would be complete without serving spaghetti mixed with ketchup and hotdog or pancit (noodles for long life)! Dessert was usually Magnolia ice cream served with a slice of cake from Goldilocks. I’d always make it a point that I got a flower! Almost always there would be a group to perform the latest dance craze or sing the latest pop song hit. Dress code was acid wash jeans, mini skirt or shorts with knee-high socks, espadrilles, Mighty kid rubber shoes. My younger sisters, though they weren’t twins, used to have matching clothes but in different colours. My older sister and I went through the same phase, I just snapped out of it one day!

Just before we blew the candle, kids would gather around and stand underneath a thing called “pabitin” – a structure with toys and candies hanging from it. Another one is the “paluan ng palayok” (break the pot) - a Filipino version of the pinyata! The goal was to hit the earthern ware filled with goodies while you were blind folded. So if you hit, you could just imagine how popular you would be with the rest of the kids at the party.

I don’t remember having a birthday party of my own for I was a painfully shy kid and dreaded the idea of inviting kids (yes, including boys) to my house. I remember attending a party though and there was this mascot from an ice cream factory. I got so scarred I had to run to our house and hide in my room. Until now, I still get this creepy feeling every time I see a mascot walking towards me!