Asian Geographic - April 2018

(singke) #1

DATA SOURCES: FILIPINOS TODAY, JUSTIN CABALES, RABINDRANATH POLITO, INQUIRER,
FLORENTINE AGUILAR, ASIAN JOURNAL USA, PHILIPPINE ENTERTAINMENT PORTAL


PHOTO © C.L. WASSON

the bedroom window of the woman he desires,


accompanied by a number of friends and


professional musicians, called harananistas,


for support. Using a customary set of songs,


the troubadour then serenades his ladylove for


the entire neighbourhood to hear, bolstered


by his entourage.


The lyrics of typical harana songs use


archaic Tagalog. Beginning with a gentle


strumming of the guitar as a prelude to the


oncoming nocturne, the man addresses the


woman directly. Through his impassioned


tunes, he may ask her if she is asleep, or appeal


for her to look out of the window.


Should the window stay shut, the rejected


suitor will leave, but if the object of his


affections shows herself and listens to the


ballad, she may either respond with a few lines


of her own, or invite him into the house, where


he then presents gifts to the family as a symbol


of his matrimonial intentions. Despite his


success, the suitor has yet to seal the deal –


it is not uncommon to require several rounds


1500s
or before
Mindanao locals
use kapanirong
serenades as a way
for men and women
to get introduced

1600s
Under Spanish rule, the
guitar is introduced to
the Philippines. Harana
songs develop from
Spanish-Mexican music
and indigenous music

1800s
Harana rituals reach
peak popularity and use
in Filipino society

1898
Western notions of
romance become
popular. Harana is
now practised mostly
in rural villages of
remote provinces

1970
Harana traditions
have all but faded with
modern courtship

harana history


of harana to prove a supplicant’s persistence
to a discerning recipient.
Another occasion for the ritual is when
women from other villages or cities visit,
and men organise a harana session to catch
a glimpse of the new arrivals and introduce
themselves with chaste formality.
This vanishing “serenade of fervent love,
tongue-tied of naivety”, as described in the
poem Hoy, Pinoy, Bangon Na! (Hey, Filipino,
Rise Up!) by Filipino poet and novelist
Gumercindo Rafanan has been immortalised
in its namesake, award-winning film Harana
(2012), which garnered critical acclaim in the
international film festival circuit. Based on the
experiences of its Filipino director and cast,
including acclaimed musician Florante Aguilar
and septuagenarian harananistas Celestino
Aniel, Romeo Bergunio and Felipe Alonzo,
the meta-cinema piece asks society the same
question it does of its protagonist: Will
harana vanish into tomorrow’s woefully
silent night? ag

song sets

Set 1: Arrival
Songs announce the
suitor’s presence

Set 2: Courting
Songs declare
admiration for
the woman

Set 3: Response
The woman sings
back lines imbibed
with meaning: either
reciprocity, uncertainty
or disinterest

Set 4: Reaction
If rejected, the
suitor’s songs are
about heartbreak

Set 5: Departure
Songs bid farewell,
showing how unwilling
the suitor is to leave

Traditional harana
sessions follow a
structured protocol
consisting of five
stages. Each stage
has a designated
set of songs
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