This picture of Filipino men carrying a house on their shoulders in this " More fun in the Philippines" picture might seem odd to other nationalities and the younger Pinoy generations. But in the olden days this is actually how houses are moved or how people "change address" as the caption of the pictures says. And Yes! this is really fun with much bantering during the lifting and moving of the house.This is called Bayanihan.
What is Bayanihan?
This is a description of Bayanihan. "Bayanihan" is commonly a term applied to a group of neighbors helping another neighbor in need of help for a work to be done which requires group effort. This is normally done by the neighbors without any monetary compensation. In the olden days, when most of the houses were made of bamboo, wood and palm or grass roofs (thatched roofs), it is common to transfer houses of such materials from one location to another by lifting the whole house atop wood beams.The group effort of lifting and transferring the house is called "bayanihan" or the "spirit of bayanihan". The picture below is the iconic cultural image of "bayanihan"( see picture below). The term can also be applied to other group endeavors such as the planting and harvesting of rice, helping victims of disasters like typhoon, earthquake and flood. To these days, specially in the provinces, you can still see the people transferring houses the bayanihan way.
Definition : Bayanihan is a Filipino term taken from the word bayan, referring to a nation, town or community. The whole term bayanihan refers to a spirit of communal unity or effort to achieve a particular objective.
Picture Source : Change of address. More fun in the Philippines - By Frank Aldana
Source Dictionary : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayanihan
