Harana

The SO and I have been speaking wedding sometime in 2005. I have been amazed at how quickly time has passed. It's been thoroughly enjoyable being with someone who is low-maintenance, beautiful, well-adjusted and intelligent. I believe in God because when I asked It for a partner, It did not disappoint me.

One of the things that is tradition in the Philippines is the harana. Two years ago. asked two members of Sining Kambayoka if they could help me perform a harana for the SO. I figured, it would be a quick hit and run harana. You know, visit her in her parent's home while there was a BBQ. Hit them with one song of "Buksan ang bintana….," and then, go in and eat.

But remember what I said about intelligent? Well, the SO is also very inquisitive and can connect dots like nobody's business. So, two weeks before the harana, I reserve the Saturday.

Me: Honey, are we going anywhere on the 19th?

SO: I don't think so. Why?

Me: Oh, I've just been so tired from all these busy weekends, that I figured we should have a BBQ and stay home. Hey, maybe, just maybe, we'll BBQ at your parent's home.

SO: That sounds like a great idea!

Well, on Friday the 18th, the SO says to me that her uncle's party is tomorrow. Her uncle and aunt are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Would I like to go? Err, in that two week's time, I have made arrangements with the two haranistas. We are on for the 19th. I have even been decoding a harana by Ruben Tagalog from a CD that I bought. I have been stooping over the CD player trying to decipher just what words were going to come after the "Buksan ang bintana."

PANIC!!!

Wait, maybe, just maybe, we can do the harana at the wedding celebration. Urm, that's not good though. I will be upstaging the 25th year celebrants. That's not good. I mean, I was ready to sing in front of immediate family. But this one would be singing in front of the immediate clan. That would set too high of an expectation.

I try to arm-twist the SO. DABOG! I mention that we had planned to stay at home. Why can't we stay at home. Well, it was the 25th. How lame can I go on this arm-twisting? I'm looking like an @ss from nowhere. I am weak. I can't lie. I just finally tell the SO that there is a HARANA for her on the same day.

Ahh, there goes that lightbulb in her head. "A harana! How romantic! I love this guy!!!" Profuse apologies come from her. I tell her that "Every time I have something happening for her, she always breaks the surprise."

The harana was great. I was thinking of just two songs, we eat the BBQ and it's over. The guys did the "Buksan ang Ilaw" song as the third song in a series that lasted about seven songs. We have it on tape somewhere. It was fun. It turns out that in the Southern Philippines, Mawi and Dick sang haranas for fun as their form of entertainment.