#chinoy

The first Filipino saint was a mestizo de sangley (mixed Chinese and Filipino), and I want to honor that by dressing him in a plain camisa de chino (left, collarless shirt with round neck; part of his traditional iconography) and also in a variant of the barong Tagalog that borrows elements from the Tangzhuang. His rosary has the Dominican cross because he was a lay brother under the Dominicans.

San Lorenzo Ruiz was born in Binondo, Manila, site of the city's Chinatown. In 1636, after being accused of murdering a Spaniard, he sought refuge with Dominican missionaries and went with them to Japan. In Nagasaki, they endured horrific torture including waterboarding and denailing in an effort to coerce them to renounce their faith. Finally, they were put through the tsurushi, a Japanese torture technique in which the victim is hung upside-down in a hole filled with sewage. Two days of this torture, and he refused to recant. His last words were:

I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God;

Had I a thousand lives, all these to Him shall I offer.

Cardinal Tagle sings "Sanlibong Buhay" (A Thousand Lives), composed by Jandi Arboleda and Father Manoling Francisco, SJ.

Ghost Month • 鬼月 (guǐ yuè) • 29 July - 26 August 2022

The seventh month of the Lunar Calendar in Taoism and Buddhist culture, which is considered to be a cautious month of the year. It is believed that the gates from the underworld are opened on the first day for the spirits to roam the earth where they seek food and entertainment. People pay respects for departed loved ones and acknowledge the presence of the wandering spirits with food offerings, prayers, and burning joss papers.For believers, major decisions from personal to business aspects are often delayed or avoided for this month and vigilance is maintained to prevent any unwanted encounters or circumstances. Or to simply put, staying clear from bad luck.

Ghost Festival • 中元節 (zhōng yuán jié) • 12 August 2022

The 15th day of Ghost Month, the festival, is the most important day. In the evening, people would feast and leave an empty chair around the table for the deceased in the family, treating them as if they are still living. Other South East Asian cultures even offer theater-style entertainment to the wandering ghosts as they believe that by pleasing spirits, they won’t be harassed. Here in the Philippines, visiting temples, praying, and food offerings is a simple gesture to acknowledge the dead and that they are not forgotten.

Read more about the Ghost Month with the following articles:

Learn 5 Chinese Words Related to Ghost Month & Taboos to Avoid

Hungry Ghost Festival

sueltos en el jardín 

riendo para no llorar.

What’s a food trip without some #foodstagram photos? Here are some snapshots from our Binondo food trip earlier this month! Also, for some more drool-worthy shots, check out the highlights video here. 

The journey began at Ongpin Street, one of the main thoroughfares in Binondo.

The original lumpia: This roll from New Po Heng Lumpia is made of tofu, veggies and meat before being seasoned with a variety of condiments like peanuts, seaweed and fried bihon.

The lumpia sauce is both sweet and savory! Here’s our tour guide showing us how to eat the traditional lumpia.

Not your usual tokwa: this dish is swimming in sweetened soy sauce, peanuts, and wansuy.

This is it, pansit! Ama Pilar’s noodle dish is called pancit sate mi guisado and is garnished with kangkong.

Roll with it: At Dong Bei dumplings, we saw how everything was handmade within the four walls of the restaurant. For a lot of us, this stop was the highlight of the trip.

In a world full of fastfood, it’s wonderful to see how slow, homestyle cooking continues to endure.

Pancakes, anyone? This is a Chinese fried pancake filled with pork.

Something old, something new: Our tour guide Mr. Ivan Man Dy said that this is the newest branch of Chinatown’s oldest bakery, Eng Bee Tin.

Check out all those rows and rows of hopia!

Just a tiny sampling of the wide range of hopia Eng Bee Tin has to offer.

Here’s an (incomplete) picture of the foodtrip team. Behind the camera is our multimedia specialist, Ken.

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Vitalstrats Creative Solutions (VCS) is a creative agency based in Quezon City, Philippines. VCS specializes in content marketing, advertising, and video production. We use strategic creativity to help our clients grow their brands.