In Celebration of the Word

Pahingalay

The month of August is, for us Filipinos, the Buwan ng Wika, or the Month of Filipino Language. The Filipino language is an ancient language belonging to the Austronesian group of languages. In this ancient language, there is a word that is closely to the concept of contemplation--pahingalay. In fact, we may see it in several places in the bible:

"Itinalaga ng  lumalag sa akin ang lugar ng aking pagpapahingalayan . . ."  (He who created me assigned the  place of my rest) Sirach 24:8

The word pahingalay incorporates the word pahinga which means rest, hinga which means breath and alay which means offering.  It appears that the word pahingalay embodies the concept of prayer and contemplation.

 

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Celebrating the Month of Filipino Language

Closely related to language is the writing system.  Long before the coming of the Spanish colonizers the ancient Filipinos already had a writing system called the baybayin. According to researchers, the Filipinos belong to that small group of countries that already had a writing system of its own. 

In celebration for the gift of language and writing, groups such as the Baybayin Atbp, Kaibigan ni Oriang, Bahay Nakpil, Sanghabi, Baybayin Lahat and Kapitbahayan sa Kalye Bautista  are celebrating the Buwan ng Wika on August 24 at 2:00 in the afternoon at Bahay Nakpil Bautista, Quiapo, Manila.  Part of the celebration is a lecture “Baybayin: Karunungan ng Bayan”  (Baybayin: Wisdom of our Nation)  and a workshop on how to write the baybayin.  There will also be an introductory workshop on the pangalay–a dance that captures the grace of the baybayin writing system.

This is free and open to the public.