The Philippines Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow
Alak It’s National Wine Day! The word for wine or any alcoholic drink in the Philippine languages comes from an Arabic word that means “perspiration” or “distillate”! ÁLAK • (AH-luhk)wine, liquor, alcoholic drinkTagálog (Filipino): álak EtymologyFrom Arabic عرق (ʿaraq) which literally means “perspiration” or “distillate”, via Malay arak “alcoholic drink”. The Arabic word is the … Read more
Koya Happy National Brothers Day! Let’s show our appreciation to our brothers and brotherly figures today. KÓYA • (KOH-yuh)older brotherTagálog (Filipino): kúya EtymologyFrom Hokkien 哥仔 (ko͘-iá) or 哥兄 (ko͘-hiaⁿ) (appellation for older brother)Partly related to Korean 형 (hyeong) [hanja: 兄] “older brother of a male” Usage Notes“Kóya” in Kapampángan means “older brother”. It can also … Read more
On May 31, 2023, the National Museum of Philippines (NMP) officially launches its newest exhibition entitled, “PAGLAWIG: The Boholano Way of Life.” The exhibition presents artifacts and ecofacts recovered by the National Museum of the Philippines in the 1980s in Anda, Mabini, Candijay, and Guindulman. These sites provided pieces of evidence of the utilization of … Read more
On this day, May 25, is the birth of National Scientist Julian A Banzon (1908) and the death of National Artist Ramon O Valera (1972). The official calendar of the Republic of the Philippines: an almanac of Philippine commemorations enlivened with illustrations and information. –Manila: Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, [2014]. On this … Read more
Cha/Tsa It’s International Tea Day! Tea is the world’s most consumed drink after water. However, it isn’t as popular of a drink in the Philippines as it is in its neighbors, though most people consume milk teas that have become very popular recently! CHÂ / TSÂ • (cha’)teaTagálog (Filipino): tsaá (chah-‘AH) EtymologyCantonese 茶 (caa⁴) /t͡sʰäː²¹/ … Read more