Packing for our trip
We are so excited – in five days we will fly to the Philippines. Today is our day of packing our things. Actually packing only our clothes would be easy – it is warm in the Philippines. But there is much more to bring.
Everybody in our family and all our friends are waiting for a Pasalubong.
You do not know that Pasalubong is? Here is what Wikipedia says:
Pasalubong (Tagalog, “[something] for when you welcome me”) is the Filipino tradition of travellers bringing gifts from their destination to people back home. Pasalubong can be any gift or souvenir brought for family or friends after being away for a period of time. It can also be any gift given by someone arriving from a distant place.
Pasalubong, in general, is a “gift for a relation or friend brought by a traveler returning from a trip,” and could also refer to “anything given as a gift to someone on the way home to a certain place. It could also mean “homecoming gift” or any present which signifies appreciation to the services rendered by the recipient.
The tradition of giving a pasalubong is of great cultural importance for Filipinos as it strengthens the bond with the immediate family, relatives, and friends.
That is something special in the Philippines, but we are sure there is similar tradition in other countries as well. What about your country? Please comment below and let us know if there is something similar in your home country.
Pasalubong is a great way to bless our loved ones and we have so many friends in the Philippines. So we are really trying to bring many, many little gifts. But of course bringing Pasalubung is not without discussion between us: How much money do we spend for the gifts? This is especially important since our budget for the holiday is not very big. But also the airlines have limits. So a big question is also how much would fit in our suitcases …
So packing for a trip home is not just putting a few clothes in our suitcases – but trying to find a balance and still blessing our family and friends.
If you are from a Western country married to a partner from the Philippines please understand this tradition. But it is also important that both, husband and wife, agree on how much to spend for the gifts and how much to bring.