Canadian vs. Filipino Parties

we had a very long day last saturday.

my kids had an activity at 10am. a children's party at 2pm. and still another children's party at 5pm.

the 2pm party was the "typical canadian" children's party where only my daughter was invited. it lasted about 1 and 1/2 half hours. they were served pizza and cake. and given a lootbag before leaving the party. its really quite simple.

i remember the first time they were invited to a party. i was uncomfortable with the fact that i had to just drop them off and pick them up again. in the philippines, it goes without saying that when your child gets invited, the yaya is invited too. we do not leave them alone to attend a party by themselves. especially when they're just 5 years old.


but that's how it is done here. only the child is invited. the party would last between 1 1/2 to 3 hours and usually involves a specific activity (i.e. swimming, mini-golf, arcade, etc). they almost always serve pizza and cake. and the kids get a lootbag to bring home.

the 5pm party, on the other hand, turned out to be a "typical filipino" children's party. when the classmate of my daughter invited the whole family to attend, i thought they were just being nice. we are "friends" after all.

so what is a "typical filipino" children's party?

it's a party where not just the kid is invited. but her whole family as well. where the adults far outnumber the kids. maybe a 5:1 ratio. where the buffet table is overflowing with food meant to satisfy the adults and not the kids. definitely no pizza anywhere in sight. where the activities are varied and satisfies both the kids and the adults. there were parlor games for the adults as well. where balloons are scattered everywhere. balloons rarely make it to the "typical canadian" party. where not only the children get lootbags but the adults as well. in the form of take outs. where the party lasts into the wee hours of the night. we left at 10pm and were considered to have "left early."

and most importantly, it's a party where people start coming in at 6pm when the invitation clearly says 5pm.

i miss these parties. you just gotta love filipino parties.