Pasko!, Pasko! Pasko na naman!

Pasko na,(kut)sinta ko! We celebrate the Christ-mas season in this country like no other. Ours is probably the longest Yuletide celebration in the whole world. As early as the first few days of the "—ber months," one will already hear Christmas carols being played on the radios and shopping malls.

It’s quite ironic how everybody here dreams of the greener grass on the other side of the world – of a white Christmas, of chestnuts being roasted on an open fire, and yet, with a tropical country like ours, how many of our people have actually seen snow?

We go crazy over imported fruits, Spanish turrones and jamones, Dutch queso de bola, German ginger breads, Italian panettone. But the funny thing is that our kababayan living abroad who can’t come home for the holidays will pay a ransom just to get a whiff of hot bibingka, puto bumbong and tsokolate.

We have so much to treasure and be thankful for. Where in the world would one get all those kakanin — bibingka, puto bumbong, tamales, kalamay, halaya ube, pastillas de leche, and all sorts of suman, taken with a cup of hot tsokolate or salabat (ginger tea). And what about the parol (lantern), where in our province Pampanga alone, lantern making is an art form, often passed down from one generation to another. Creating those 20 to 30-foot lantern wonders, kids from families who make lanterns acquire the skill early, also learning that a parol’s beauty is not just in the design or colors but also in the lighting sequence hence they cover the tiny control box of the parol with putty – much like a cook guarding her secret recipes.

Truly, nothing can beat Christmas in this country.

An Enchanted Evening

The road was narrow. The setting was a humble house with bare earth floor. A makeshift stage was made out of wooden palettes covered with dried rice stalks. Long coconut fronds were propped up as backdrop. The lights were mere bulbs tapped from the electrical posts.

On one side were vendors selling native bibingka, suman, tamales, duman at pigan (toasted duman and coconut milk), steaming hot tsoklate cooked by the farmers’ wives themselves.

It was a cool Saturday night (November 30) in barangay Santa Monica in this sleepy town of Santa Rita, Pampanga. Local residents and their guests flocked together for an evening of merrymaking, singing and poetry reading to celebrate the Duman Festival. There was nothing grand about the preparation. In fact, it was as rustic as any barrio setting could get. And that was what made the whole thing beautiful. No unnecessary adornment, no distraction.

Children and young lads and lasses in their humble barrio clothes greeted us warmly, kissing our hands as they murmured "Mayap a bengi. Malaus ko pu!" (Good evening. Welcome!) The sound of a rondalla band playing native songs filled the cool November air. But the people, oh the people, they made the whole difference. It’s like we were transported to another period. They were calm, unperturbed and so happy.

We met up with some friends from Manila (including chefs Glenda Barretto and Myrna Segismundo) who initially felt uncomfortable but were touched by the warmth and respectful gestures of the children. Instantly their warmth rubbed on us. We mingled with everyone, talking, laughing and sampling their food. It was Filipino hospitality at its best.

Rarely, especially in these modern times, that one is treated to an evening of simple life. So simple that you start wondering why you can’t have more of such when it gives you so much joy.

Not too many Filipinos are familiar with duman. In fact, not all Kapampangans know or have tried this so precious and delicious morsel since from the beginning, it was produced only in small quantities and reaches only very few people.

What is duman and what is so special about it? Duman is from the rice variety galapong or malagkit (glutinous rice). It is planted solely in the barrios of Sta. Monica and San Augustin in the early part of June. Unlike the regular rice variety, which can be planted and harvested three times a year, duman can only be harvested in the cool air of November otherwise it will not be a bountiful one. For every hectare, a farmer can produce only a maximum of 30 cavans of duman while he can produce a maximum of 300 cavans for regular rice. It is no wonder duman is sold at a whopping price of P800-P1,000 a kilo.

Its laborious process is a true labor of love. The farmers will reap at dawn. They then will beat these stalks to the ground, a process called ipaspas by the locals. It is at this stage that the mature palay falls off from the stalks and only the young or as they call it in Kapampangan, malagu (literally meaning beautiful) is left to the stalks. These stalks are then churned until the malagu falls off. The loosened young palay is then gathered and watered like plants.

Then the palay is toasted for at least two hours, using wood fire while constantly stirring it for an even toast. Then it is spread on banig or rice mat to cool before it is ready for pounding in the huge mortar and pestle made of solid, heavy wood. Three strong men with one pestle each of three feet long pound on the palay continuously, following a particular rhythm they have mastered by heart. (I tried it but I could not get the rhythm right). After at least three hours of pounding, (it almost looks like macho dancing), the duman will come out of its palay shell in its delicious shade of green and emit a very fragrant irresistible smell.

Duman is like no other. It has a beautiful golden green hue with an irresistible fragrance. If it were likened to a maiden, she is young, beautiful, special, fragrant, and like a true virgin, a very rare breed especially in these modern times. Best taken with pure carabao’s milk or hot tsokolate (made of local cacao and carabao’s milk); or toasted till crispy and sprinkled with sugar, much like rice crispies; or made into kalame (rice cake).

A Star Is Born

During the duman festival, the Arti Sta. Rita choir regaled us with a musical presentation of traditional folk songs. The Arti Sta. Rita Foundation, or Arti Sta.R ita for short, started two Decembers ago when the local parish choir staged a Christmas Eve concert, under the directorial of guidance of Andy Alviz (resident choreographer of Miss Saigon Manila/Singapore/ Hong Kong), and musical directorship Recy Pineda, Randy del Rosario, Hancel Lapid and Gie Lansang, all natives of Sta. Rita. They all realized there’s a lot of gifted young people in their midst, but a few lucky ones get to hone their talents and get the break they deserve. Most, however, are left undiscovered. From this observation was born the dream to help discover, cultivate and showcase talent, and hopefully pave the way to a child’s bigger dreams.

After that successful Christmas serenade came the realization that it would be such terrible waste to leave this abundant gathering of raw talent undiscovered and undeveloped. Thus, the Arti Sta. Rita was born. On December 22, their debut album "Kapampangan Ku" will be launched in Sta. Rita. It was co-produced by Holy Angel University Center for Kapampangan Studies, with director Robbie Tantingco and HAU president Bernadette Nepomuceno; sponsors Dick Simpao and Willy Carpio, both native Sta. Ritans and now residing in California; and business managers Butchie Lagman and Tess Guanzon. And, ofcourse, Sta. Rita’s prodigal son Andy Alviz, the resident choreographer of Miss Saigon, Asia, unselfishly sharing his time and talent.

Much laughter and camaraderie filled the cool air that night. Our spirits soared with the enjoyable company of fellow cabalens and guests alike, and our stomachs filled with the local delicacies offered us, not to mention the wonderful musical presentation. It was an uplifting experience – a feast for both body and soul! It was truly an enchanting evening.