Asian Geographic - April 2018

(singke) #1
A typical courtship in modern Metro Manila
might feature texting as much as any other
smartphone-loving Asian city, but its older
predecessor plays out much more like the
romantic music videos today’s youth peruse
eagerly on YouTube.
Still in practice a few generations ago, the
Filipino ritual of harana takes its rhythm from
Spanish habanera dance music, and its roots
from the traditionally restrained response of a
coy Filipina towards her beau.
In an undeniably passionate scene, a man
will ready himself and his guitar at night under

With sophisticated social proceedings typical of
subdued Filipino society, gallant gentlemen once
wooed their women with sweet songs

Music to Her Ears


TENDER MELODIES


below The haranistas
of the film Harana
(2012) recording on set

right A photographic
print captioned:
Where softly sighs of
love the light guitar


  • a Visayan-Filipino
    serenade


“We’re going to record


them and immortalise


them. So that the next


generation will realise


that there was once a time


when romance flourished


through harana”


Benito Bautista, director, Harana

PHOTO © LOURDES FIGUEROA, FOR HARANA THE MOVIE


MeMories

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