Reminiscing Yesterday By Angel B. Casillan Journal # 6 Harana (the Serenade) It was the melody of a “kundiman” song that broke the silence of one late evening. Several young men were serenading my neighbor, a coed on a summer break from a school in Manila. After several songs, her mother opened the window and said something to the boys and they left. Music has always been a part of courtship in the Philippines and harana (serenade) played a role in professing a boy’s love to his special girl. Serenade had its beginning in the 17th century France as a musical performance at night especially rendered by the lover boy under the window of his lady. The Spanish brought the tradition to the Philippines, but in addition of professing admiration and love, the Filipinos extended the tradition to include serenading to meet new girls in the neighborhood. The Filipino movies have portrayed the harana culture in a very ideal way, where the girl is looking at the boy from her window. But in most cases, men would serenade women in the still of the night, using a special rhythm with swaying rendition of a “kudiman” while the girl would decide either to be asleep or to show up to greet. The would be suitor is usually accompanied by friends for moral support, he may even hire a singer or singers to do the singing for him. The girl’s family has the option of inviting them to come inside or apologize that the girl is tired, depending on the girl’s feelings towards the boy. When the windows open with the girls smiling while listening to the songs, it is a welcome sign. This tradition usually occurred in rural setting, but occasionally it also happened in the urban area. The urbanization of the towns and barrios took away the ability to serenade under the window of the lady. The openness is gone when people fenced their yard with high concrete walls for their safety, a sign of the time. When I was in my early teens, across the street was a neighborhood “garita, a sari-sari” store that served as the hangout of the boys who shoot breezes all day. Their idle time, which was plenty because of underemployment, was spent playing the guitar and the accordion, making them versatile with these musical instruments. One particular guy that I would call Berning, who was a lot older than I, played the guitar with a baritone voice that could melt grandma’s heart and he was popular as the hired singer with one condition. He claimed that to optimize his voice, it had to be greased with a shot or two of gin, a request that was never rejected. Some of the boys in order to booster their confidence, also would warm up with spirits which made them in real high spirit. On one occasion in my early teens, I joined these boisterous old boys for a harana. One of these boys had a particular Juliet in his mind so they proceeded to the house of a lady who was his love interest. Berning started with his wonderful voice, stringing his guitar along with a harana song (youtube/watch?v=JMeJA6SkZP8) that swayed with the breeze in the quietness of the dark. Suddenly, the windows opened with lolo and lola amused as they listened to the beautiful kundiman tunes. After Berning struggled with three songs that permeated into the still of the night, Lola and lolo politely said thank you because they lived alone. We found out that we were in the wrong address, just the next door house of the intended house, a result of mistaken identity because the boys were in “high spirits“. It was a Christmas season and a girl from Damortis who was visiting her relatives in town smote my friend. The following night, my friend and I with Berning’s help as our minstrel decided to serenade the girl. Berning, who had just enough shots of the spirit, impressed the parents of the house. Because we showed our good behavior, we were invited to come in and Berning strung his guitar for another of his favorite kundiman song to the delight of the people in the house. They were nice to serve us Coke while my friend flirted with the girl, and for my friend’s special effort, he was given her picture as a souvenir. The Philippine culture right now is different, but in the 1950s, 60s and maybe 70s, courtship was subdued and indirect. Boys had to be discreet and not aggressive while girls were expected to be hard to get, an indirect way to tell the boy that he has to work hard to win her love. Friendly dates are often the starting point, usually with a group of other friends. If a man wants to be taken seriously, he has to visit the girl’s family and introduce himself to the family. Playing “pakipot” by the girl is a way to measure the sincerity of the boy. What I am describing is love and courtship in rural areas and towns, away from big cities. Courtship is described like playing baseball, first base if the girl accepts to go out with the boy the first time, but after going out several times, then it is called second and third bases, when they become steady or boyfriend- girlfriend, it is the homerun.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 21:53:31 +0000
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