Holidays with Ilocanos

 

A Parol is a star-shaped ornament that is an iconic Christmas symbol in the Philippines. Some are fancy with lights and some are just made of paper or plastic. It represents the star of Bethlehem which helped guide the Three Kings to the Nativity of Jesus.

The presence of a Parol outside someone's window or porch is a telltale sign of Filipino culture. Although it is only November, it's common to see their Christmas trees and lights already up. In the Philippines, Christmas festivities begin as soon as the "BER" months start. The hundred-day countdown to Christmas Day commences on September 16th, and Filipinos like to celebrate early.

Gathering with loved ones holds a crucial place in Filipino culture, and they need no specific occasion to host a party. Of course, the holiday season provides even more reasons to celebrate. Christmas festivities in the Philippines are not limited to just families; the entire community comes together to celebrate. This year's exceptional circumstances caused by the pandemic may affect the celebrations, but Filipinos will undoubtedly find ways to enjoy each other's company and share their blessings.

To begin a new lesson, it's fitting to focus on the holidays. We've previously published an article on holiday celebrations, which you can read HERE.

HOLIDAY GREETINGS!

Since it is just around the corner, let's start with Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving - Naragsak/Naimbag nga Panagyaman

                                (Nah-rug-sak / Nah-eem-bug ngah pa-nahg-ya-mahn)

***Tagalog: Maligayang Pasasalamat 

Now for the rest of the holidays, here you go!

Merry Christmas - Naimbag a Paskua

                             (Nah-rug-sak / Nah-eem-bug ah Pas-kwa)

           You (Singular)  Kenka (Ken-yah-yoh)

          You (Plural)     Kendakayo (Ken-duh-kah-yoh) 

                                Kenyayo (ken-yah-yoh)

          Y'all / You all    Kendakayo Amin (ken-duh-kah-yoh Ah-meen)  

 

                                Kenyayo Amin (ken-ya-yo Ah-meen)

            

***Tagalog: Maligayang Pasko

Happy New Year -Naragsak a baro nga tawen

                                (Nah-rug-sak ah ba-ro ngah tah-wen)

                            You (Singular)   Kenka (Ken-yah-yoh)

                     You (Plural)      Kendakayo (Ken-duh-kah-yoh) 

                                            Kenyayo (ken-yah-yoh)

            Y'all / You all    Kendakayo Amin (ken-duh-kah-yoh Ah-meen)  

 

                                   Kenyayo Amin (ken-ya-yo Ah-meen)

***Manigong Bagong Taon or Maligayang Bagong Taon

Here's a list of words that will be helpful along the way:

 

 Here are some phrases that you definitely need to remember:

Ready to rock people's socks off? Check out these mind-blowing lessons from our blog below! Or, if you're a curious cat, take a peek at our older posts for even more goodies. And, if you're not already part of our Facebook family, come join us for some daily laughs and fun!

GREETINGS PART 1

GREETINGS PART 2

COMMON PHRASES

Our apologies for the lack of recent uploads to this page. We will be taking action to rectify this by releasing more content in the near future. Additionally, we plan to revisit and update some of our prior postings in response to the feedback we have received.

Until Next Time,

Siak ni Gigi

NOTES: These lessons are designed with the English Speakers in mind. The pronunciation is spelled out to emphasize sounds of the English language and alphabet to help the person to say it correctly in sounds that they are familiar with. 

For Tagalog/Filipino readers seeking to utilize our lessons, read the words in your native tongue and do not follow the suggested pronunciation.

Why the Ilokano language?

Why the Ilokano Language?

As you embark on the journey of learning a new language, there's always that one question that pops up: "Why that language?" And we get it too! On our blog and social media handles, folks often ask us why we chose Ilokano over Tagalog. Well, let us spill the beans on how and why this blog came to be.

Let me paint a picture of me for you! I started my adventure in the lush Northern region of the Philippines, where I spent my first dozen years soaking in the culture. But, then my family and I made the big move to the Lone Star State of Texas! My mother tongue is Ilokano, but I'm fluent in Tagalog and Kankanaey (a dialect within Ilokano). When I entered the land of the free, I picked up English fluently and Spanish on a conversation level. My sis still has her ear tuned to Ilokano and Tagalog, but she's a little shy with speaking. Our baby sister was born and bred in America, so she's yet to learn the lingo of our Filipino roots.

Following our initial trip to the Philippines, my husband experienced his first bout of culture shock. Despite its small size, the country's diverse culture, population, and languages overwhelmed him. Although my husband was enamored with the Philippines, he struggled to comprehend its native tongue. My grandmother, who spoke limited English, attempted to communicate with him, and her efforts touched him deeply. As a result, he committed to mastering her language before our next visit.

Why did we choose Ilokano? The answer is straightforward: to enable my husband to communicate with my grandmother (Lola). While my parents conversed with him in English, it was his interactions with Lola that prompted his interest in learning Ilokano. Moreover, we want our son and sister to appreciate their Filipino roots through language acquisition.

A decade ago, online resources for Ilokano/Ilocano language learning were scarce, making it a challenging task. Consequently, my husband and I established this blog to share and disseminate resources that have proven useful in our own Ilokano language acquisition. Our youngest sister has embraced our lessons and is learning the language through our blog, while we continue to educate our son on the language. Given our family's frequent travel between Texas and the Philippines, it's imperative for all of us to maintain proficiency in Ilokano if we wish to converse with our beloved Lola.

The Philippine education system's recent shift towards utilizing the regional native language in teaching and learning has led to more resources becoming accessible online and in bookstores. As a result, our social media platform has gained an influx of student followers searching for resources.

 Languages serve as a crucial medium of communication, allowing individuals to engage in effective and enjoyable conversations with each other.

Pick a language that tickles your fancy and dive in headfirst! We're currently crushing on Ilokano and have got you covered with all the resources you need over on our blog.

Inton maminsan manen. ( Till Next time Again)

Siak ni Gigi 

This article was selected for inclusion in the Buwan ng Wika campaign of the Educational resource publisher Twinkl

Let's Eat Part 1: Food Culture

Food is an integral part of understanding a culture. The next few lessons are dedicated to eating. We will focus mainly on mealtimes, names, ordering food and other common phrases you should expect to hear in relation to eating.

First, we will start off with a translation exercise. See if you can follow the conversation.


Jacobo: Nangankan?
Mark: Saan pay.
Jacobo: Umayka ditoy, mangan ka pay.

Mark: Ania ti sidain?
Jacobo: Pinakbet, innapoy, ken sisig.
Mark: Kayat ko ti sisig.

Mark: Naimas. Sino ti nagluto?
Jacobo: Kasinsin ko nga ni Demy.
Mark: Naimas ti sidain.

Mark: Nabusugakon.

So how much of that did you understand? Well, check yourself.

Jacobo: Nangankan? Did you eat yet?
Mark: Saan pay. Not yet.
Jacobo: Umayka ditoy, mangan ka pay. Come here and eat.

Mark: Ania ti sidain? What is the side dish?
Jacobo: Pinakbet, innapoy, ken sisig. Pinakbet, Rice, and Sisig
Mark: Kayat ko ti sisig. I want Sisig.

Mark: Naimas. Sino ti nagluto? Yummy. Who cooked?
Jacobo: Kasinsin ko nga ni Demy. My cousin Demy
Mark: Naimas ti sidain.The side dish is yummy

Mark: Nabusugakon.I'm full.

Nangankayon? ( Nah-ngahn-kah-yon?)
Nangankan? (Nah-ngahn-kahn?)


Simply put "Have you eaten?" or as we like to say in Texas, "Have y'all eaten?". 

Filipino culture dictates that it is rude to not offer someone food, so it is customary to ask this question when you have visitors. So if you are the visitor, to avoid an embarrassing situation where food is not prepared ahead of time, it is best to answer that you have already eaten.


Wen, nanganakkon (wen, nah-ngah-nahk-con) 
Yes, I have eaten.

Wen, nangankamin (wen, nah-ngahn-kah-mean) 
Yes, we have eaten.


If it is a sincere question, you will mostly like be asked again, in which case it is okay to accept. In which you can respond with the following:


Saan pay (sah-un pie)  - Not Yet
or
Merienda lang (Mer-ree-yen-duh lung) - Snacks only


And always follow with the proper title:

Apo (elderly)
Uncle/Auntie (if they are old enough to be your auntie/uncle, you call them that)
Manang/manong (someone older)
Ading (someone younger)
Madam/Sir (Politicians, Teachers, businessman)
Lolo/Lola 

And of course, when you are done, don't forget to be thankful.

Agyamanak (ugh-yah-man-knock) - singular

Agyaman kami (ugh-yah-man-kah-mee) - plural

So next time you have to visit someone or meet up with someone, remember this simple visiting etiquette. So next week we will discuss mealtime conversations.

Inton maminsan manen,
Siak ni Gigi

NOTES: These lessons are designed with the English Speakers in mind. The pronunciation is spelled out to emphasize sounds of the English language and alphabet to help the person to say it correctly in sounds that they are familiar with. 

For Tagalog/Filipino readers seeking to utilize our lessons, read the words in your native tongue and do not follow the suggested pronunciation.

Top 10 Must-Try Ilokano Food

Our next lesson post topic is food. So let's talk about Ilokano food culture for a bit. Filipino's are fond of gatherings around food and if you are going to be around for the parties, you'll need to know what you are eating, right? So here are our top 10 Ilokano dishes.

Top 10 Ilokano dishes

1. Bagnet - The King of all lechons. Bagnet is a slap of Pork belly literally deep fried in its own fat, over and over to crispy perfected meaty chicharron. Then it is cut into manageable bite size pieces before taking its final dip into the boiler oil bath. They are served with spicy vinegar. It is artery clogging awesome!

Photo Courtesy of blissfulguro.com during her Vigan Food Trip.

2. Pinakbet - Veggie Delight of the North. It is a combination of vegetables cooked in bagoong (fish sauce). Bagnet is a perfect addition to this dish but some prefer to put shrimp. I used to wonder why my mom always has bittermelon, eggplant, okra, kabocha squash, and long beans in her garden. I just thought it was the basic Asian garden selection. Later on, I realized those are all the veggies to cook pinakbet! Now I get it!

Photo Courtesy of Kusina Master Recipes

3. Poki-Poki/ Poqui-Poqui - Grilled Eggplant Salad. Much like Tortang Talong except it has eggs and onions. Eggplants are grilled until the skin puff out then the toasty skin is removed. Then the mashed eggplants are pan-fried with scrambled eggs, onions and diced tomatoes. Eat dipped in soy sauce or fish sauce.

Photo Courtesy of blissfulguro.com during her Vigan Food Trip.

4. Dinardaraan - Chocolate Meat Pudding. Oh yum! that sounds good, it has chocolate and meat you say? Well, this delicious meat dish is basically sauteed pork meat cooked pork blood with vinegar added to it. The consistency and color after cooking look like chocolate, hence the name. For the most part, this dish is actually pretty good and no shouldn't have any surprise flavors.

Photo Courtesy of Get Lost to Ilocos

5. Dinakdakan - Ilokano Version of Sisig. Another Pork Goodness! So you boil a head of a pig and harvest everything except the bones from it. That includes the nose, ears, cheeks, and don't forget the brains. Some add pork belly, torched thinly sliced pork skin to the mix. Sometimes thrown into the grill for some crispiness. And sometimes, it's simply marinated in vinegar and calamansi and seasoned with onions, garlic, and salt. Either way, it's a totally awesome dish. Not convince? Well, it's the ultimate beer food. Maybe that will entice you to try. There's also beef and goat dinakdakan.

Photo Courtesy of  overseaspinoycooking.net.

6. Pinapaitan - Bitter but Famous. Pinapaitan stems from the word "Pait," which means bitter. That doesn't sound appetizing at all. Have you heard of Mexican Menudo?  Yup, it's pretty much the same soup dish. The difference is in the seasoning. Pinapaitan is an Ilokano soup dish that is mostly made with cow or goat innards and seasoned in its bile extract. First time trying it, go for the beef pinapaitan before you attempt the goat one unless you like goat meat.

Photo Courtesy of Roy Varagan of MAKAN

7. Pinikpikan - Igorot Delicacy. This is a chicken soup dish that is best made with "native" chicken or a mountain/wild chicken. The native chicken has long since been domesticated but still, it just tastes different. They have a darker meat and gamier taste. The feathers of the chicken are roasted off over open fire leaving the skin a bit torched but flavorful. It's cook for a long time to tenderize the meat and seasoned with ginger and fish sauce. Some add papaya or pepper leaves to have a bit of veggie option.

Photo Courtesy of Eat Eplore Experience.

8. Igado - Just another innards dish. Igado is a popular Ilokano dish that mostly made of liver, meat strips and sometimes other organ parts. The name comes from the Spanish word "Higado," which translate to "liver." Hence the part where it has to have liver in the ingredients. It's cooked with bell pepper, peas, and carrots.

Photo Courtesy of PanlasangPinoy.com

9. Dinengdeng - Refreshing Bean Soup dish. This soup is made with variety of green veggies cook with bagoong (fish sauce) and serve with grilled or fried fish like galunggong (roundscad), tilapia or bangus (milkfish)

Photo Courtesy of  Angsarap.net

10. Ilocos Empanada - Not your normal empanada. These empanadas are orange! They mix achuete/annatto powder into their batter flour for flavor and color. The filling consist of shredded papaya or beans sprout with eggs and sometimes longganisa sausage. They are deep fried and dipped in spicy vinegar. Aside from it being deep-fried, it's totally healthy.

Photo Courtesy of Traveler on Foot

So there you go. I hope I made you hungry because I'm feeling hungry now that I'm done with this post.

Mapannak pay agbirok iti lutuik. (I'm going to go look for something to cook)

Inton maminsan manen ( Until Next Time)

SIAK NI GIGI

Ilokano Weather Part 2: How to say COLD in Ilokano

COLD! COLDER! COLDEST!

 I think the chance for cold weather in my area is pretty much gone. Last week, our topic was all about the HOTNESS. Summer is approaching after all. And in the Philippines, it's hot most of the time. But there are occasions when you experience cold. 

So for this week's lesson, we are talking about COLD weather and feeling cold in general. I'll leave this vocabulary chart up here for reference. The concept is to use different words in the sentences below. 

Basic Vocabulary Chart

WEATHER TALK VOCABULARY
English	Tagalog	Ilokano/Ilocano	Pronounce like this
Hot	Mainit	Napudot, Nabara	Nah-poo-doot, nah-bah-rah
Cold	Malamig	Nalamek/Nalamiis	Nah-lam-ehk/Nah-lam-mi-is
Wet	Basa	Basa	Bah-sah
Dry	Tuyo	Ragangirang	Rah-gah-ngee-rung
Humid/humidity	Pagkabasa	Nasalimuot	Nah-sah-lee-moo-ot
Rain	Ulan	Tudo	too-do
Snow	Niebe	Niebe	Nee -e-be
Ice	Yelo	Yelo	Ye-loh
Storm	Bagyo	Bagio	Bug-yo

Tell me how COLD it is...

Lamek = COLD

Nalamek - It's cold
Nalamameken - It's already cold
Naglamek - It's very cold
Nalamlamek - It's colder (use for comparison)
Lumamek - It's going to become cold
Limamek - It became cold

Another word for Cold?

Nalamiis is another word for COLD.

Nalamiis - It's cold

Nalamiisen- It's already cold
Naglamiis- It's very cold
Nalamlamiis - It's colder (use for comparison)
Lumamiis- It's going to become cold
Limamiis - It became cold

Talking about the Weather

There is the translation following the English script and there is what English speaker would call the "backward way." Haha, well, it's actually called the reverse translation. English grammar is different from other languages.

The snow is cold ( rain = tudo, ice = yelo, food = makan)

Ti niebe ket nalamek (Tee nee-ye-beh ket nah-lahm-ehk)
Ti niebe ket nalamiis (Tee nee-ye-beh ket nah-lahm-mi-is)

The more common way to say it...

Nalamek iti niebe (Nah-lahm-ehk ee-tee nee-ye-beh)

Nalamiis iti niebe (Nah-lahm-mi-is ee-tee nee-ye-beh)
* It literally translates to ..... Cold is the snow. The verb or adjective comes before the noun.

Then there are descriptive nouns

Nalamek nga niebe (Nah-lahm-ehk tee nee-ye-beh)
Nalamiis nga niebe (Nah-lahm-mi-is tee nee-ye-beh)
*This translate to....Cold snow. When you have an adjective before a noun, you add NGA in between the words in Ilokano.

So for our lessons, we will mostly use reverse translation.

It's cold right now 

Nalamek tatta  (Nah-lahm-ehk tat-tah)
Nalamiis tatta (Nah-lahm-mi-is tat-tah)


It's already cold 

Nalameken (Nah-lahm-eh-ken)

Nalamiisen (Nah-lahm-mi-is-sen)

It's very cold today 

Naglamek tatta nga aldaw (Nug-lahm-ehk tat-tah ngah al-dao)
Naglamiis tatta nga aldaw (Nug-lahm-mi-is tat-tah ngah al-dao)

* When you want to emphasize an adjective, you use NAG instead of  NA before the adjective word. 

It's colder today

Nalamlamek tatta nga aldaw (nah-lahm-lahm-ehk tat-tah ngah al-dao)

Nalamiis tatta nga aldaw (nah-lahm-lahm-mi-is tat-tah ngah al-dao)


Wait for the climate to get cold

Urayem nga lumamek iti tiempo (Ooh-rah-yem ngah loo-mum-ehk ee-tee tee-yem-po)
Urayem nga lumamiis iti tiempo (Ooh-rah-yem ngah loo-mum-mi-is ee-tee tee-yem-po)

The climate became cold

Limamek iti tiempo ( Lee-mum-ehk ee-tee tee-yem-po)
Limamiis iti tiempo ( Lee-mum-mi-is ee-tee tee-yem-po)

I'm  cold/I'm very cold

Nalamekak/Naglamekak (Nah-lahm-ehk-ahk / Nug-lahm-ehk-ahk)
Nahlamiisak/Naglamiisak (Nah-lahm-mi-is-ahk /  Nug-lahm-mi-is-ahk)


You're cold/You're very cold 

Nalamek ka / Naglamek ka ((Nah-lahm-ehk-ka / Nug-lahm-ehk-ka)
Nalamiis ka/Naglamiis ka (Nah-lahm-mi-is ka /  Nug-lahm-mi-is ka)


I'm feeling cold 

Naglamek iti riknak - (Nug-lahm-ehk-ahk ee-tee reek-nak)
Naglamiis iti riknak - (Nug-lahm-mi-is-ahk ee-tee reek-nak)

Or you can say.....

Malamlamekak (Mah-lahm-lahm-ehk-ahk)
Malamiisanak ( Mah-poo-doo-tan-ack)


I'm going to cool off /cool down

Mapannak agpalamek - (Mah-pun-nak ugh-pah-lahm-ehk)
Mapannak agpalamiis - ( Mah-pun-nak ugh-pah-lahm-mi-is)

Nalamek and Nalamiis. If you get these two words mix up, it's okay. They literally mean the same thing. You can use them whether you're talking about the weather or how you are feeling.


COLD FOOD

The Halo-Halo is cold.
Ti Halo-halo ket nalamek/nalamiis.
*English grammar translation.

Cold is the Halo-Halo.
Nalamek/Nalamiis ti Halo-halo
*Reverse Translation. 

You will hear it both ways when the sentence format is:

The (Noun) is (adjective).

When you have an adjective before a noun, you add NGA in between the words in Ilokano

Nalamek/Nalamiis nga Halo-halo (Cold Halo-Halo)
Nalamek/Nalamiis nga Danum (Cold Water)
Nalamek/Nalamiis nga serbesa (Cold Beer)

Intayon agpalamiis. Inton Maninsan Manen!

(Let's go cool off. Until Next Time Again!)

Siak ni Gigi

NOTES: These lessons are designed with the English Speakers in mind. The pronunciation is spelled out to emphasize sounds of the English language and alphabet to help the person to say it correctly in sounds that they are familiar with. 

For Tagalog/Filipino readers seeking to utilize our lessons, read the words in your native tongue and do not follow the suggested pronunciation.