The place was the center of social life. Here they displayed their goods consisting of corn, rice, coconuts and vegetables to be bartered with Chinese traders’ products like spices, jewelry, silks and jars. The natives spent the day in this market, conversing about their lives and their business.

The magkakapit-bahay would visit their neighbors and chat with them, but they were not gossips. Social occasions like baptisms, weddings, and funerals provided by a reunion of friends, relatives, and neighbors.

A favorite spot for the meeting of the Pasigueños was the Pariancillo Creek which was navigable all year round, alive with people on bancas and bantilan, bathing and doing the laundry and washing other household chores at the creekside.

Favorite places of social contact also were the sari-sari stores, especially at night.

They played dama and Chinese checkers at the sari-sari store.

Almost all the land in Pasig was rice fields. Usually held in January after the harvesting season. Young men were invited to join in the pounding of palay, while young women usually sang and danced with guitar accompaniment. Both men and women were dressed in colorful and beautiful attires.

Planting and harvesting season in Pasig was a social activity where men and women met in a prelude to courtship. During the planting, the men wore the kundiman or red pants and women the patadyong, and all sang “Magtanim hindi biro” with guitar accompaniment.

Favorite grounds were the vicinities of the Marikina River in Talampas, Santolan and the Parola located at the boundary of Pasig and Tipas. The crystal clear water of the Marikina River provided plenty of fresh fish and shrimps while the nearby are called Bacood vielded fresh fruits and watermelon, melons, and vegetables.

The cockpit at the Rotonda served as a pastime area for the sabungeros. It was destroyed by a strong storm in 1905 and replaced by another cockpit in the place presently occupied by the Meralco office. The cockpit was convertible: in daytime it was the meeting place of sabungeroswhile at night, a meeting place of those who loved dancing with the bellasfrom Bicol.

The Pasigueñas spent their leisure at home. Elderly women played the panggenge and other card games. Young women and little girls played sungkaan. The men engaged in tupada(cockfight) in the neighborhood.

Pasigueños are fond of sports too. Volleyball and baseball were played in the rice fields on Saturdays and Sundays.

Volleyball and baseball were played in the rice fields on Saturdays and Sundays.

Every evening at 6 p.m there was a banda playing at the Glorietta. The famous bands were those of the Bedañas, Marianos and Cerventino Cruz.

The pukulan ng niyog was a game reminiscent of bowling. It had young ladies , particularly those who about to be married, as participants. The prospective bridegroom or his parents provided 100-200 husked coconuts to each of the female participants who put them by their side.

The game was started by a player who would roll one of her coconuts towards her opponent who would then try to hit the rolling nut with one of her own. Whoever broke the coconut won the broken fruit.

These contents attracted at times between 300-400 pairs of ladies, all playing at the same time and occupying all available spaces in town.

Games of Huego de Amillo were usually played by the bangkeros at the Bitukang Manok Creek during the Spanish Period. The game is a race among banca rowers. From end to end across the riverbank, a long wire was hung from two poles, with at least five rings inserted and dangling from wire. The bangkeros would then race to put the stick through the ring and return to their bases. The first person able to insert the stick and return immediately to the base was declared the winner.

The HARANA is

popularly known as an

expression of

romantic intentions in

music, but it means

more than that.

In Nueva Ecija, a harana group is organized to sing from

house to house to ask for rice or chicken to fill an

expected shortage of food for a baptismal party, a

wedding or a first death anniversary. This type of harana

is aptly referred to as harana sa manok or harana sabigas.

Several types of songs are sung in a harana. The singing

of this songs follows a pattern. First, there is the

pananapatan or pagtawag or pagpapakilala.

After being acknowledged, the serenaders sing a song or

two either to thank the host or to praise the beauty of

the lady. The kantahan follows.

Often the serenaders reqest the

lady to sig. This is referred to as

pagtumbok. The subsequent requests

from the haranistas are calles

paghiling. The serenaders also sing a

number of songs after the lady

granted their requests. If she is

known as a singer, the serenaders

usually request a few songs from

her. But one song is enough if she is

not a singer.

A harana, which expresses one’s romantic intentions,

usually lasts only an hour, but other types of harana can

last until the wee hours because a lively conversation or

even discussions is likely to come up while coffee or bread is

being served by the host. Before leaving the house, the

serenaders sing the pamamaalam, expressing gratitude for

being entertained, apologizing for causing inconveniences and

bidding goodbye.

Ang isang kaugalian sa paghaharana ay ang pagpapahayag ngdamdamin ng binata sa dalaga.

Sa huli, kung magkapitak sa puso ng dalaga ang paninilbihan at panunuyo ng binata, na kadalasan ay umaabot sa sampung taon, tinatanggap niya ang pamimintuho at paninilbihan ng binata namay pagsang-ayon ng kanyang mga magulang. Sa gayon angbinata at dalaga ay magiging magkasintahan.

Pagkalipas ng ilang buwan, mamamanhikan ang mgamagulang ng binata sa magulang ng dalaga. Dito itatakda angaraw ng kasal at ang dalawa ay magatataling-puso sa kapilyanayon.

Isa pang kaugalian ng mga binata noon, matapos makita angdalaga sa nasabing pagtitipon o kasayahan, ipagtatanong-tanongna ang bahay ng dalaga at dito na sisimulang balakin angpaghaharana.

Ang karaniwang suot ng mga haranista ay barong tagalog o kamisa de ehino at may taling panyo sa leeg. Maayos angkanilang pananamit at matitikas ang mga anyo. Kapag nalalapitna sa bahay ng haharanahing dalaga o mga dalaga, iniingatannila na makalikha ng malalakas na yabag lalo pa at nasa tapat ngbinata ang haharanahin.