Courtship in the Philippines
[1][2] Evident in courtship in the Philippines is the practice of singing romantic love songs, reciting poems, writing letters, and gift-giving.
[4] Often, a Filipino male suitor expresses his interest to a woman in a discreet and friendly manner in order to avoid being perceived as very "presumptuous or aggressive" or arrogant.
[1][2][3] Conservativeness, together with repressing emotions and affection, was inherited by the Filipino woman from the colonial period under the Spaniards, a characteristic referred to as the Maria Clara attitude.
[3] Apart from the general background explained above, there are other similar and unique courting practices adhered to by Filipinos in other different regions of the Philippine archipelago.
In the island of Luzon, the Ilocanos also perform serenading, known to them as tapat[5] (literally, "to be in front of" the home of the courted woman), which is similar to the harana[4] and also to the balagtasan of the Tagalogs.
In this type of courtship, the rooster is assigned that task of being a "middleman", a "negotiator", or a "go-between", wherein the male chicken is left to stay in the home of the courted to crow every single morning for the admired lady's family.
[3] In the province of Bulacan in Central Luzon, the Bulaqueños have a kind of courtship known as the naninilong (from the Tagalog word silong or "basement").
At midnight, the suitor goes beneath the nipa hut, a house that is elevated by bamboo poles, then prickles the admired woman by using a pointed object.
When they are in the half process of the courtship, they are forced to make a baby[5] In Pangasinan, the Pangasinenses utilizes the taga-amo, which literally means "tamer", a form of love potions or charms which can be rubbed to the skin of the admired.
Similar to the practice in the Pangasinan region, as mentioned above, the Cebuanos also use love potions to win the affection of the Filipino woman.
[3] People from Leyte performs the pangagad'[5] or paninilbihan or "servitude",[4] instead of paying a form of dowry[5] during the courtship period.
[5] The practice of performing paninilbihan, throwing the rice over bride and groom for prosperity, paying dowry, visiting a shrine to pray for fertility, etc.
[7] Reckless courtship, known in the vernacular as palabas, sarakahan tupul, or magpasumbahi, is practiced by the Tausog people of Mindanao.
Similar to the palabas version practiced in Luzon island, a suitor would threaten to stab his heart while in front of the courted woman's father.
[3] The Tausog people proclaims that a wedding, a celebration or announcement known as the pangalay, will occur by playing percussive musical instruments such as the gabbang, the kulintang, and the agong.
[3] Parents, however, still prefer that their daughters be formally courted within the confines of the home, done out of respect to the father and mother of the single woman.
Although a present-day Filipina wants to encourage a man to court her or even initiate the relationship,[3] it is still traditionally "inappropriate" for a suitor to introduce himself to an admired woman, or vice versa, while on the street.
