An Ode to Thirteenth Birthdays

For the celebrant it was the

Excitement, pumping

Tension into the air like an overworked

Fireman

It was the thirteen candles seated deep

In the dark chocolate brown, irresistibly

Sweet and sticky frosting

Because now she can call herself a

Teenager -

The rebellious hellion who will

Attempt to find her individuality

Through the conformity of her peers

(And maybe, just maybe,

Be allowed to stay out past ten…)

---

For her pinsan it was the sheer celebration

Because her ate was another year older

It was the trembling fingers just

Itching to hand over the carefully-picked

Present

She was a jittery, bumbling bee bursting to tell

The rest of the world where the next

Field of flowers lay

Especially since she gift-wrapped the

Mysterious blue box herself.

---

For her nanay it was the relatives coming over

(and of course, her hija getting closer to womanhood)

The amount of work and preparation was towering

But cooking was like a community activity

Wherein every tito, tita, ninong, ninang, lola at lola

Pitched in, just a little

Laughing over glowing coals and

Basking in the

Scintillating smell of pancit

The glazed look of the lechon

The hours slaved over the perfect smoky

Barbecue, dripping with the secret marinade

Lost between the gray clouds of effort

Because everyone deserved a good meal.

---

For her little sister it was the

Party itself

And the games that came with it

Because even though the celebrant tried to be a woman

There was no such party without the breaking of the

Earthen, red palayok

Deftly hiding candies and Peso coins inside

Of course, who could forget the

Pambitin, with its rows upon rows of

Tied up goodies, like little

Sailors getting hoisted up and down

The hungry mouth of a leviathan

(The other young, grubby hands

Reaching for her candy were just a greedy anyway)

---

As it was

The Quezon City air was stifled with pollution

And loud laughter of celebrating people

As swarms more relatives entered through the

Rusted gate, gifts in tow

In order to greet the antsy celebrant

A happy birthday.

Thank God for another year.

(A/N: I'd appreciate comments and criticism. I remember birthday parties in the Philippines.

Pinsan – cousin

Ate – a respectful yet less formal term to call an older female who is closer to your age, like an older sister, an older cousin, an older friend, or an upperclassman

Nanay – mother

Hija – daughter, it’s actually Spanish and not Tagalog

Tito, tita, ninong, ninang, lolo at lola – uncle, aunt, godfather, godmother, grandfather, and grandmother

Pancit – a noodle dish

Lechon – roasted pig

Palayok – a clay pot used in a party game, similar to breaking open a piñata in Latino birthday parties

Pambitin – another party game wherein a wooden, square framework is tied with bags of sweets, small toys, and money and is dangled up and down to little children eagerly reaching and snatching the small bags for themselves.