BY: DONALD SEVILLA
OF BIENVENIDOS AND DESPEDIDAS : A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY TRADITION
As a people, we are blessed and rich in our culture. Our colorful traditions define our heritage as a nation. Strong family values make the backbone of a strong nation and close family ties strengthen our resilience during difficult times.
When we welcome guests or visitors to our home, we do so with unparalleled hospitality. We do our best to treat our guests with dignity and extend our warmest reception. Not necessarily ro impress them, but to offer the best we could.
For beloved family members, we extend the most cordial welcome festivities as our way of appreciation for their presence. We often throw a party for family members who have come from abroad and other places far, as our gesture to appreciate their arrival and visit
We are honored by their visit and we accord the same with pleasure and respect.
As much as we value the presence of people close to us and appreciate it, we also treasure family sendoffs where we throw “despedidas” or sending off parties to honor loved ones traveling to far away lands to seek greener pastures or to start a new chapter in their lives.
Much like our ” bienvenidos” these rituals revolve around people we care the most. But unlike a welcome reception where it is met with excitement, sendoffs are often melancholic and sentimental. It is filled with nostalgia and cherished memories.
The prospect of seeing a loved one travel far away to start on his or her own, may not seem so exciting but as we go through life especially with our children, time will come when they will no longer be kids and we have to accept that they, too, have to leave and start their own journey.
As parents and elders, we must learn to let go and prepare them for a bright future ahead. The least we could do is prepare them for a life and future beyond us.
This is a great challenge for every parent and doting elder, and one that best exemplifies the kind of responsible guardians we strive to be.
Families and loved ones are an integral part of ourselves, who accompany us in our life’s journey. Near or far, physically present or not, the bond that transpires between them and us is crucial to our well- being.
We must learn to live our lives with a lot of love and excitement and cherished memories in our hearts. When we send someone off to embark on his or her journey, we wish them all the luck and pray for success with all our love.
Bienvenidos to those coming to see us and despedidas to those we are sending off with our love and prayers!