A Pinoy Blog About Nothing

I’m going to Cebu on Sunday to meet my fiancee’s parents.

My parental units and I will be engaged in the traditional Filipino custom (traditional na custom pa!) of pamamanhikan. Sorry I can’t find an approximate English translation for the term. It’s where my parents meet her parents and go eat balut or do something Filipino or other.

In any case it’s the first time I’ll be doing it (duh) and since I’m the eldest of all the siblings, the first one to go through it. I don’t know what goes on really. I guess it’s to formally ask Petite’s father for her hand in marriage. Oh I can see it now…

Me: Hello sir.
Petite’s Dad: And what’s your business here young man?
Me: I would like to ask your daughter’s hand in marriage.
Me: … if you have a package deal going…I kinda like the entire package not just the hand.

D’oh.

No kidding aside I have no idea what goes on during pamanhikan. We’ve been going out for three years. I’ve already met her mom and grandma. Friends and officemates keep wishing me luck. What’s the fuss? They keep telling me these horror stories about their pamamanhikan. Me, I see it as going there and giving props to the parents ya know?

Pinoys don’t give dowries do they? I mean I can’t imagine us giving what two cows and a chicken for the marriage. Like hello. She worth more than two cows. Three even. (I’m already in trouble no?). I mean how can you even put a price on a human being moreso someone you love?

What the hell goes on during a pamanhikan?

Unless of course they’ll have me chop wood and get water from the well like what I saw in LVN pictures on listless afternoons on TV when I was a kid. But I sincerely doubt it.

I hate to think of it as a feudal thing what with the asking the two fathers to do the talking. (Like we can’t do the talking ourselves? Hello?) I guess we’re doing it out of respect to both sets parents. It’s our way of telling them that they’re part of the plans we’re making. It’s more a formality and asking them for their blessings and none of that crap about negotiations and stuff. Petite and I would see to it that it doesn’t go that way. We’re not rich. We do not have businesses nor political agenda to protect.

If we’re just going to discuss the wedding, then we’ll be fine. We have the Excel files ready. (haha no I’m not kidding). I just hope they don’t get overboard with the excitement over the wedding (Petite and I are both the eldest of the brood for both sets of parents you see).

I just hope I don’t do a Ben Stiller.

We’ll see on Sunday. At the end, at least Petite and I will have another interesting experience. :)