By Camelia Rodriguez
PINOY Associate Editor
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and I can’t help but think about the state of courtship today. In a world where people prefer to communicate with one another through e-mail or text message, romance seems to be a thing of the past. Courting someone is more easily done through modern technology.
So I come to the question of, “Uso pa ba ang harana?” I borrow this line from the Parokya Ni Edgar song “Harana”. For those who may not be familiar with this term, harana literally means to serenade, which was a traditional form of courtship in the Philippines. A man would try to win the heart of the woman he loves by singing (and usually accompanying himself with a guitar) underneath her window. I guess my larger question is are people no longer making grand gestures expressing their love because no one expects that kind of thing anymore?
The concept of harana has always fascinated me, as it is something I rarely see here in America. My mom always tells me about how my dad would sing to her when they were younger and still living in the Philippines, and it makes me wonder why men in America can’t do that for women today. Anyone can buy flowers, chocolates, and a card with a pre-written message, but what’s more romantic than having someone sing to you?
“For me, honestly, one of the things that touches my heart is if a guy sings or even tries to sing, “ says Mary Anne Reyes, a senior at Lane Tech High School. “Songs have lyrics and lyrics usually have a meaning behind it. So if a guy went out of his way and found a song that he could dedicate to a girl, that would be the sweetest thing in the world.”
Reyes is not alone in feeling this way as many women (young and old) long for their significant other to do “random acts of sweetness”. Men might think of this as women having high expectations, but is wanting to be serenaded really too much to ask for?
Lane Tech sophomore, Jonathan Caliso, doesn’t seem to think so. He says, “If I really liked the girl and I wanted to show her how I felt I’d probably sing a song for her to express that.”
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not writing this article to bash on guys and accusing them all of having a lack of romantic expression. I’m simply just wondering if there is still that notion of romanticism out there. I’m sure there are plenty of men out there who go above and beyond to sweep a girl off her feet, such as Niles North High School senior, Darwin Derequito. The way in which he asked a girl to homecoming is definitely “Awww!” worthy.
“I handed out different letters to her teachers at school that spelled out ‘Homecoming’,” say Derequito. “Each letter had a little saying to go along with it. Throughout the day she got different letters and she had to spell it out at the end of the day to get the message. After school ended, I was waiting at her locker with a question mark and rose.”
What I’m trying to say here is that guys shouldn’t just settle for the cliché stuff like just buying their girl a card, candy, or stuffed bear. The same goes for girls too. To really show the person you love how much you care do something you know they won’t be expecting.
So maybe for this Valentine’s Day instead of taking her to a fancy-shmancy restaurant, cook her favorite meal at home. And instead of buying him an expensive watch, write him a list of all the reasons why he’s your one and only. Be creative and original!•