holy days

Today, I came home to dozens of motorcycles and vehicles lined up outside of our gate. Trying to figure out what was going on, I looked across the road to see a circle of people standing around a ring made of corrugated tin. It's a cockfight. Not your normal everyday neighborly activity in the U.S. Why is there a cockfight in front of my gate? Because its Fiesta week! Every neighborhood has its own identity. It has its own little mayor and its own fiesta. Fiestas are usually centered around a particular Saint and several masses are given in the local chapel. And when you're not going to church, you're betting on roosters :) Cockfighting is considered a national sport in the Philippines. Arenas range from the small setup in front of my gate to large expos (like a rodeo). I won't go into the details of the fighting, but apparently the real show is during the betting which happens live as one person, the Kristo, takes bets from the center ring with centuries old hand signals and somehow keeps them all straight. Interesting trivia, Kristo is also the word for Christ, the connection being the stretched out arms of the bet taker while he is taking bets.

So, there's a cultural lesson for you. I thought about putting a picture of a cockfight up, but know of a few friends in particular who would not appreciate that :) So, I'm opting for Ariel and I checking out a row of "Cocks" waiting to play the game (and no, she did not witness the fighting!):



By the way, our neighborhood is "Holy Trinity Village," and I don't know who our neighborhood Saint is. I guess I should find out.