BRIDGING THE GAP
The Ilonggo-Bisaya harana
Harana is the Ilonggo-Bisaya and Filipino term for serenade. It is an activity held at night-time between 8:00 and 11:00, generally characterized by the singing of love songs. Sometimes, when it is used to greet a birthday celebrant, it is done in the wee hours of the morning, from 4:00 to 6:00. Essentially, however, the harana is associated with courtship and it talks about love, marriage, and the positive virtues of a young woman and a young man.
Harana could have been introduced by the Spaniards to the Philippines when they colonized the country. The colonizers may have adapted it from the Italian serenata which means evening song. It is not clear yet, as to why it became harana although there are scholars that claim that a similar activity already existed in the country before the Spanish colonization. The Mangyans of Mindoro, for example, still practiced the traditional way of writing their composed love song on a piece of round green bamboo and singing it in front of their lady-love.
The typical picture of a harana, especially in the rural areas, is that of a young swain pouring out his love in a simple and melodic tune under the window of his beloved. The love-struck young man expresses his romantic passion with a heartfelt and, oftentimes, melancholic song, accompanied by a guitar. If the courting young man has no voice for singing, he takes along one or two friends who can beautifully sing for him and who can provide him support.
Harana had been a popular and cherished past-time among the rural young men in Western Visayas in early times up to about the 1960s. However, with the worsening peace and order situation in the countryside, especially in the 1970s, and the advent of modern gadgets in music entertainment, harana has become a rarity nowadays.
Generally, harana is done by young men in the barrio when there is the presence of local young women ready for courtship. It is also done when there is a pangayaw nga dalaga or visiting lady and a newly arrived young balikbayan lady in the barrio.
The romantic harana is done after supper when everything in the barrio seems to be on a standstill; i.e there is hardly a sound anymore that one can hear. A courting young man, having contacted his barkada earlier for the said purpose would visit the house of a girl or where the pangayaw is staying. They, of course, bring along a guitar. Along the way, the guitarist may string the guitar whose sweet and melodic sound is distinctly heard far and wide. Upon reaching their destination, the group would sing love songs one after the other. Usually, the one courting, if he also has a good voice, singsfirst andlast. After a round of love songs, if the parents of the girl or the host/hostess of the pangayaw would allow it, the window is opened and the young woman would look down on the young men on the ground. Pleasantries and introductions would then be exchanged between the one upstairs and those downstairs. After about two more songs, the serenaders would leave and go home butleaving word of future meeting arrangementbetween the young man and the young woman concerned.
In some cases, the house owner may invite the manugharana to go upstairs. Once they are up, the tagbalay would encourage the daughter or the pangayawvisitor to meet and talk with the serenaders. Of course, it is considered proper for the lady to, at first, show hesitancy but, after some prodding, the lady would oblige. After some preliminaries, the haranistas would again sing. However, the focus now shifts to the courting young man and his songs would convey messages of romantic feeling toward the lady.The group would then request the lady to sing also and she is expected to render a song ot two even if she is not good in singing. Between the exchanges of songs, jokes and teasing that have romantic implications are injected. If the tagbalay is in an hospitable mood, some light snacks would be offered to the haranistas. Sometimes, the serenaders themselves would bring some native delicacies, especially if they are expecting that they will be allowed inside the house. After one or two more songs, the young men would then bade goodbye, probably also in the form of a song.
If something positive had taken place in the course of the exchanges during the harana between the young lady and the prospective suitor, then the harana has accomplished its purpose. It has now become the prerogative of the young man to continue the courtship, especially that the prospect seems to be good.