Filipinas come of age(at what price?)

If you have read my blog on a regular basis, you know my wife is a Filipina and immigrated to the US from the Philippines after our marriage 16 years ago. I've always been an admirer of the culture of my wife's homeland.

There is an interesting article in today's Honolulu Advertiser. It is about the elaborate parties some Filipino-American families throw for their daughters. Debuts as they are called, are celebrations of the Filipinas coming out or 18th birthdays.

The origins of the debut are likely rooted in the 300-year Spanish occupation of the Philippines, said Belinda Aquino, University of Hawai'i-Manoa professor of political science.

At first, the debut was a tradition reserved for the elite families who could afford such a lavish celebration, Aquino said. Now, "it doesn't have to be for rich people anymore."

My wife knows of this practice. The Olobias did not throw such celebrations for either of their daughters. My in-laws are pretty humble people, Tatay was a civil servant and Nanay a schoolteacher.

But here is the interesting part of the article.

Though extravagance is what debuts are known for, said Galang, who didn't have a debut herself (she turned 18 while in college at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles), less expensive debuts are not unheard of.

In Hawai'i, however, many families appear to go all-out for their daughters' debuts.

That's understandable, Aquino said, since "the person can only turn 18 once."

For Heather Sales' debut at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu in June, her parents paid about $25,000 for everything from the dresses for the girls in Sales' court (18 of them, all from the Philippines) to lessons for the court's cotillion, or dance.

Krystal Tabora's debut last November cost about $15,000. Tabora, 18, said that was "75 percent of all-out" thanks to "a lot of bargains and discounts." Among the costs? Around 200 party favors and a $600 birthday cake.

Seeing this article, I asked the wife's opinion. She could hardly agree less with Ms. Aquino. She things these parties are ridiculous wastes of money. These families probably have poor relations in the Philippines, how about helping them out.

I agree with the wife. $15-25,000 for a birthday party is a immense waste of money.

Brunch- Basil's blog