Philippines

This page will explain my recent trip to the Philippines in December 1997. The purpose of the trip was to attend my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. To celebrate the once in a lifetime occassion, the DeQuiroz family planned a family reunion. Family flew in from many places around the world: Houston, Los Angeles, Ohio, Florida, Italy and Canada. The whole family came together in Imus, Cavite.

Christmas
Christmas in the Philippines is very different from my Christmas experiences in Canada. During the holidays, every street is filled with decorations and millions of lights. The Christmas spirit in thePhilippines is unbelievable. Carollers walk the streets singing, making every holiday night magical. It's very hard to explain in words how much I love the Philippine Christmas. There was also a Christmas parade that featured different dance performances and floats.

New Year's Eve
Compared to the Philippines, Canada does not now how to bring in the New Year. Actually, I guess the weather plays a factor in the differences in celeberations. In the Philippines it is legal to use fireworks. On New Year's eve, my friends and relatives set off fireworks from 10 at night until the wee hours of the morning. The thing that amazes me is that the fireworks are extrodinary. We set off fireworks that I am used to seeing in the annual fireworks competition in Montreal. The fireworks seem to bring more excitement to New Year's Eve. I guess just the noise level and visual stimulation of the fireworks give a more of a loud "party" atmosphere.

The Anniversary
On January 3rd, 1948, my grandparents, Teofilo DeQuiroz and Felicidad Miranda, started the great DeQuiroz family. Now, in 1998, the much expanded family joined together at the Imus Cathedral to take part in the 50 year anniversary. My grandparents decided to renew their vows. Each member of the family had a role in the wedding. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. 50 years is something people dream of but not everyone gets there. I am so proud to be part of a caring, loving family. Following the wedding, the reception took place at the beautiful DeQuiroz Garden, a 3­year project of my grandfather's. He bought a piece of land a while back and year after year he planted different plants, flowers and trees. The place is so beautiful. There are palm trees, mango trees, and exotic plants. It could be a resort! It's a very peaceful and relaxing place to be, well except for the day of the reception. There was plenty of food, typical of Filipino tradition to overdo things all the time. They was a special folk dance presentationperformed by students from the University of Santo Thomas. Although a black out left us powerless for a while, generators were brought in and the party was underway. The garden was decorated beautifully with lights thanks to many friends and family members, especially a good family friend, Ojay. There was a band and people danced the night away. There were even games like musical chairs. The fun thing was it was couples playing musical chairs so every man and woman had to find their partner while running to get a seat. It was a hilarious site. Then there was a fireworks display, graciously donated by a friend of my grandfather. All in all, a day I will never forget.