"Pamaeayi": Preparations

October 29, Saturday
Batan, Aklan

The title is the term for "pamamanhikan" in Aklan. But unlike pamamanhikan which derives its root word from "panhik", meaning to go upstairs, pamaeayi gets it from "bayi", which means woman, lady, or female.

There's no difference, though, with the value my fellow Aklanons place on it compared to the ones commonly practiced anywhere else. On the day of pamaeayi, the event and feast prepared by the man's family must be nothing less than the best to honor the lady and her family.

My mother's friends and elder relatives dropped by our house, bringing foodstuffs and insights on how the meeting should go. Since my father is left in Batangas to recover from his recent cardiac arrest, the role of family spokesperson went to my mother. She was even given a formal speech that she's supposed to say to the lady's family.

I learned that pamaeayi, in our small town Batan, is a community affair. Friends, colleagues, and even neighbors would want to tag along to provide moral support for the man (I needed that. *kaba kaba*). But we had to apologize to most of them because it is going to be a small gathering.

Let's me just go through my list...

From my camp: my mother, my brother, my "igsuon" (God-brother) who was married in Manila (I need to bring someone with experience in urban wedding), my brother's friend priest (for divine support?), and two of my mom's friends to help us with the food and to lay-out the table.

For my bride-to-be: her father, her mother, and two of her cousins who are staying with them.

In the food department:
Lechon de leche
Chicken binakol and chicken adobo (All native. No bird flu, promise!)
Beef steak
Steamed Bisaya rice

Equipment: 2 still cameras, 1 handycam (Got to document those pledges! Haha!).

Joan and I will have these props for tomorrow: photos of the church and reception venue laid out in a scrap book, a sample of our proposed souvenir, pictures of gown designs, swatches of cloth for the motif, short list of the entourage, some rehearsed scripts and fallback statements, lots of courage, confidence, and loud voices so people will hear us. ^_^