Thanks to visit codestin.com
Credit goes to www.scribd.com

Scribd
Upload
252 views2 pages

The Tradition of Siesta in the Philippines

The document discusses the tradition of the siesta in Filipino culture. It describes how the author was made to nap after lunch as a child along with other children in his family, as his mother believed it helped children grow. It notes that the siesta was introduced by the Spanish and was an important custom during Spanish colonial rule, when the Philippines was known as the "land of the fiesta, the novena, and the siesta." Even guards and sentinels would take a siesta, leaving the city vulnerable to attack during that time. While American influence did not greatly change the tradition of the siesta, the document argues it provides health benefits,

Uploaded by

Marren Dimapilis
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
252 views2 pages

The Tradition of Siesta in the Philippines

The document discusses the tradition of the siesta in Filipino culture. It describes how the author was made to nap after lunch as a child along with other children in his family, as his mother believed it helped children grow. It notes that the siesta was introduced by the Spanish and was an important custom during Spanish colonial rule, when the Philippines was known as the "land of the fiesta, the novena, and the siesta." Even guards and sentinels would take a siesta, leaving the city vulnerable to attack during that time. While American influence did not greatly change the tradition of the siesta, the document argues it provides health benefits,

Uploaded by

Marren Dimapilis
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Siesta

(An Excerpt)
Leopoldo R. Serrano

When I was a boy, one of the rules at home that I did not like at all was to be made to lie in the bare
floor of our sala after lunch. I usually lay side by side with two other children in the family. We were
forced to sleep by my mother. She watched us as she darned old dresses, read an awit, or hummed a
cradle song in Tagalog.

She always reminded us that sleeping at noon enables children to grow fast like the grass in our yard. In
this way, in most Filipino homes many years ago, the children were made to understand what the siesta
was. Very often I had to pretend to be asleep by closing my eyes.

Once while my mother was away, I tried to sneak out of the house during the siesta hour. I had not gone
far when I felt something hit me hard on the back. Looking behind, I saw my father. He was annoyed
because I had disturbed his siesta. I picked up a pillow at my feet, gave it to him, and went back to our
mat. The two other children were fast asleep. The sight of the whip, symbol of parental authority,
hanging on one of the post, gave me no other choice but to lie down.

During my childhood, whenever we had house guests, my mother never failed to put mats and pillows
on the floor of our living room after the noonday meal. Then she would invite our guest to have their
siesta. Hospitality and good taste demanded that this be not overlooked.

The custom of having a siesta was introduced in our country by the Spaniards. Indeed, during the
Spanish times, the Philippines was the land of the fiesta, the novena, and the siesta.

Many foreigners have noted this custom among our people. Some believed that even the guards at the
gates of Intramuros had their siesta. It was a commonly known fact that every afternoon the gates of
the city were closed for fear of a surprise attack.

The ayuntamiento of Manila or the commander of the regiment in Intramuros did well in ordering the
closing of the gates during the siesta hour. Once, the Chinese living in Parian, just a short way from the
Walled City, timed the beginning of one of their revolts by attacking at two o’clock in the afternoon.
They were sure that the dons, including the guards and sentinels, were having their siesta. They felt that
they would be more successful if the attack came at siesta time.

Even today visits to Filipino homes are not usually made between one o’clock and two o’clock in the
afternoon. It is presumed that the people in the house are having their siesta. It is not polite to have
them awakened from their noonday nap to accommodate visitors. There is a well-known saying believed
by many of our people: “You may joke with a drunkard but not one who has been disturbed during his
siesta.”
Our custom of having a siesta has not been greatly affected by American influence. We have not learned
the Yankee’s bustle and eagerness or endurance for continuous work throughout the day.

But if only for its health-giving effects, we should be grateful to the Spaniards for the siesta, especially
during the hot weather, for the siesta serves to restore the energy lost while working and a hot climate.

You might also like