New Year's Eve 2016

This is our new year's eve spread pamahiin/pampa-swerte spread.

For the first time in many years, we actually had 13 types of fruits as opposed to just 13 pcs. I didn't intentionally set out doing it this way, it just happened.

We have:

1. pineapple
2. apple
3. orange
4. kiwi
5. avocado
6. cantaloupe
7. honeydew
8. asian pear
9. strawberries
10. blueberries
11. mandarin oranges (halos)
12. red seedless grapes
13. bananas

Then, as my friend K has taught me and because I like doing these little pamahiins whenever I can, I prepped 3 containers and filled them to overflowing with 

1. rice (bigas)
2. salt
3. water

I put coins in at the last minute to symbolize financial blessings. As K taught me, the containers have to be filled to the point of overflowing to show abundance, the containers do not have to be very big. I happened to have bread and ham (in the box) so I put them out as well, nothing to do with pamahiin.

These preparations become the subject of a long discussion between my and my Achi every year. She always asks kasi what to prepare and when I give her the list of things, ang dami nyang objections & questions. For example:

Achi: Nako, now I'll have to buy salt pa kasi konti na lang yung nasa bahay. kelangan ba puno? ang hassle. E kung bumili na lang ako ng container and then yung buong container ilalagay ko sa table, pwede na ba yun? Ang hirap kasi ibalik sa container ang salt if na pour out mo na. E kung kanin na lang na cooked gamitin ko? Marami kasi kaming naluto, para di na ako maglalabas ng bigas.

... and ... so ... on.

And this goes on every year. Nakakaloka no ?

And as a response, I go through my own long-winded explanation / sermon with the following bullet points:

• these are pamahiin, you don't have to do them if you don't feel like doing it
• I did not invent them, tinuro lang rin sa akin. Don't ask me to give you different variations. 
• So far as superstition goes, my belief is that you do what makes you feel good. For example, on most years, my 13 fruits are all just a combination of apples, oranges and grapes and I was okay with that because I was too busy to do more shopping.

Now, if you're asking me for things that you can or cannot do or what to substitute, hindi ko masasagot yan. That is all you. As I keep repeating, "Do whatever makes you feel good". If you want to put the whole salt container on the table instead of pouring it out, edi sige. Do that and be okay with it. Do not ask for my approval kasi hindi naman ako ang nag imbento nyan.

On a different note, Swe-cha decided to end the 2015 with a bang. 

I'd already prepared the fruits and these containers and set them out on the kitchen peninsula. 

While I was upstairs prepping the bedrooms, I hear clinking noises. I called out to Swe-cha and he came running, when asked what he was doing, he said "eat strawberries, yum!"

argh.

I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I ran downstairs and this was what greeted me. He decided he wanted to eat strawberries and that was what he did. Ewan ko why he had to mess with the platter - the apple, salt, rice and water, naglaro lang siguro.

So I washed some strawberries and gave it to him. Surprisingly, kinain! Hindi marami kasi hindi matamis yung strawberries eh, sayang :( He has not eaten strawberries before today, hanggang drama lang and saying "strawberries, yum!" as if he really tasted them.

After this, he ate some blueberries too. Hindi nya nagustuhan. Pero at least he tried willingly.