How are you celebrating Filipino Independence Day?

photo courtesy of Cafe Press

Everybody in the USA knows the 4th of July as Independence Day, but Filipinos celebrate Araw ng Kalayaan on June 12. Here's a little background from Wikipedia:

In the Philippines, Independence Day (Filipino: Araw ng Kalayaan) is an annual national holiday observed on June 12, commemorating the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. It is the National Day of the Philippines.

The 1898 Declaration of Independence, however, was not recognized by the United States or Spain. The Spanish government later ceded the Philippines to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, and the United States granted independence to the Philippines on July 4, 1946 in the Treaty of Manila. July 4 was observed in the Philippines as Independence Day until August 4, 1964 when, upon the advice of historians and the urging of nationalists, President Diosdado Macapagal signed into law Republic Act No. 4166 designating June 12 as the country's Independence Day. June 12 had previously been observed as Flag Day.

Here's how we're celebrating Araw ng Kalayaan:

1) Eating pansit and adobo, two quintessentially Filipino dishes that I can actually make! Pansit is a noodle dish that's almost identical to chicken or vegetable chow mein, and adobo is a chicken dish stewed in vinegar, soy sauce, black peppers and a bay leaf. It's stinky enough to make your nose curdle and it's absolutely delicious. Don't ask a Filipino -- we're biased -- ask a foreigner like Alfie and he'll tell you!

2) Going to San Francisco's Civic Center for Fiesta Filipina USA, the Bay Area's (and probably California's) biggest outdoor Filipino Independence Day celebration. There will be music, dance, arts and crafts booths, and lots of yummy Filipino food!

3) Wearing our pride on our sleeve. We don't have a huge Filipino flag to fly, but we have a small flag that we'll wave with pride.

So how are you celebrating Araw ng Kalayaan? If you're not Filipino, how do you wear your national pride? Share your comments on Bonggamom Finds and you could enter to win a Cafe Press tshirt! Click here to enter!