Reaction to Lukayo festival
Raisa Margarita S. Tantuico
2009-78534
May 4, 2015
Reaction paper to Lukayo- Hindi ito bastos
The initial thing that got me upon watching the documentary was the title of the show itself. The line “hindi ito bastos”. I wasn’t sure if this was really part of the title chosen by the producer or if it was some sort of warning. I felt like it was already preempting the viewers of what’s to come and adding some sort of bias to their minds before watching it. On another note, I was surprised that such a festival existed in the Philippines, considering the conservative views and the prevailing religion to be Catholicism. But, as I got to understand more the real essence of the festival, I learned to appreciate it and what it stood for and wished the rest of us would do the same. The Lukayo festival held in Kalayaan, Laguna, according to Ramon Obusan is a 200-year old ritual which celebrates marriage and fertility. Women in their middle ages, mostly grandmothers with children and grandchildren, carve out wooden phalluses and decorate it with flowers ribbons etc. On the day of the festival, or on the day someone from their community gets married, they pull out very colorful, fun and gaudy outfits, and carry the wooden phalluses to the streets. There, they dance and sing and parade around to their merriment. To these ladies, the lukayo can mean many things. First of all, it is a fun event that takes them out of their daily routines at the fields and brings some sort of community. Second, being way past the ‘fertile’ age, they have all the right to poke fun or ‘bless’ these newlyweds with abundance and fertility. Lastly, I see it as their way of asserting their independence and freedom from their husbands. In a very much male-dominated society in the provinces, it’s one of the few times in a year where they can poke fun on what makes their husbands “macho’’ or their “manliness” and assert that their power in a sarcastic way. As this is part of their culture, it still
2009-78534
May 4, 2015
Reaction paper to Lukayo- Hindi ito bastos
The initial thing that got me upon watching the documentary was the title of the show itself. The line “hindi ito bastos”. I wasn’t sure if this was really part of the title chosen by the producer or if it was some sort of warning. I felt like it was already preempting the viewers of what’s to come and adding some sort of bias to their minds before watching it. On another note, I was surprised that such a festival existed in the Philippines, considering the conservative views and the prevailing religion to be Catholicism. But, as I got to understand more the real essence of the festival, I learned to appreciate it and what it stood for and wished the rest of us would do the same. The Lukayo festival held in Kalayaan, Laguna, according to Ramon Obusan is a 200-year old ritual which celebrates marriage and fertility. Women in their middle ages, mostly grandmothers with children and grandchildren, carve out wooden phalluses and decorate it with flowers ribbons etc. On the day of the festival, or on the day someone from their community gets married, they pull out very colorful, fun and gaudy outfits, and carry the wooden phalluses to the streets. There, they dance and sing and parade around to their merriment. To these ladies, the lukayo can mean many things. First of all, it is a fun event that takes them out of their daily routines at the fields and brings some sort of community. Second, being way past the ‘fertile’ age, they have all the right to poke fun or ‘bless’ these newlyweds with abundance and fertility. Lastly, I see it as their way of asserting their independence and freedom from their husbands. In a very much male-dominated society in the provinces, it’s one of the few times in a year where they can poke fun on what makes their husbands “macho’’ or their “manliness” and assert that their power in a sarcastic way. As this is part of their culture, it still