Babaylan’s 12th Birthday Bash

Babaylan Denmark with guests - From left: Filomenita Høghsholm, Judy Jover, Ana Lindenhann, Mayor of Leisure and Culture- Pia Allerslev, Lakambini Sitoy, Filipina writer & journalist - Elsine Espersen, Kvinderrådet consultant, Hilda Guldmudsson & Lemy Gaddi

To start, a huge beautiful birthday cake, big enough to give a piece to everybody, with others even bringing a piece home to share with loved ones. Member and prizewinning cakemaker Elvira Soliman Hansen once again graciously cemented our Babaylan celebration.

Also a Babaylan member and flowershop proprietor Josie Christensen of Amager Blomster who supplied the flowers: for the honoured guests at our Gender Focus Forum and for Flores de Mayo segment, where the small children reenacted this beloved Filipino religious and cultural rite. The kids were rewarded with the traditional Pabitin, a wooden contraption full of sweets and goodies, which the kids then have to catch as the pole is being lowered and hoisted. The event was chronicled ably by the visiting lady photographer Ms. Krestine, from Politiken Foto, the leading agency in Denmark.

So what more did we deliver? Food for the Mind, Soul and the Body while indulging the Filipino penchant for sinning: shopping!

Fr. Joe Toms, the new parish priest for the filipino community in Denmark, with Nitnit Mongaya

The day’s highlight was the Gender Focus Forum opened by Fr. Joe’s Invocation followed by a Fashion Show highlighting Dita Sandico Ong’s banana weave wraps. Then it was time to listen to our speakers Pia Allerslev, Copenhagen’s Mayor on Culture and Leisure, maybe upcoming
Lord Mayor when incumbent Socialdemocrat Ritt Bjerggaard leaves office. Also sharing the podium was Danish Women Council consultant on ethnic minority women, Elsine Espensen and Filipina writer-journalist, Lakambini Sitoy. While Danish guests touched on the interaction
between Danes and Filipinos through language and culture as well as gender empowerment initiatives and cooperation to include Au Pairs got good response from the audience, Lakambini “Bing” Sitoy’s talked on the role of Filipinas in literature, eg. with the Noli Me Tangere, the political novel that led to national hero Jose Rizal’s martyrdom, which led to the birth of the Filipino nation in 1898. Ms.Sitoy expounded on the situation of Pinay writers today, concluding with tips on how Filipino literature can gain international appeal: by among others telling the migration story in all honesty. In short, telling it like it is!

Babaylan’s Flea market this time made humble gains thanks to donations from members and friends Edith Torp, Marilyn Marker and others. See you all again soon!