13 types of fruit, noise invite good luck

Friday, December 30, 2011

CEBU CITY -- With barely two days before the New Year, many people rushed to food stalls Friday to buy round fruits that are believed to bring good fortune in 2012.

The practice, referred to as Trese Klase (which means 13 types in Spanish), involves collecting 13 kinds of round fruits that will be laid out on the dining table, to be eaten by family members on New Year’s Eve.

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Church heritage commission member Ernesto Chua said the 13 types of fruits represent the 12 months of the year and one month for the following year.

CEBU. Apart from oranges, grapes, apples, sweet sop and lemon are also favorites for New Year’s Eve as they symbolize good fortune and prosperity. (Allan Cuizon)

"In the olden times, the family prepares the fruits for prosperity in the coming year," he said.

Aside from the fruits, the household also prepares dishes that are meant to bring luck and make noise, such as lighting firecrackers.

Chua said apart from inviting good fortune, the celebration of the new year is meant to bring the family closer.

For fruits, Chua suggested apples, oranges, grapes, star apple, guava, melon, pomelo, tisa (yellow sapote), grapefruit and atis (sweet sop). The pineapple can also be served as its Chinese name sounds like the word for abundant.

Dragon fruit

"Some include lemon (to add) spice to life because it is an ingredient in many dishes. But we do not put lemoncito because it is sour," said Chua.

The dragon fruit can also be used because dragon represents nobility, as well as the edible rattan seed that looks like a small dried pineapple.

Chua said while the rattan fruit is sour, it is also deemed appropriate because rattan, like the bamboo, is pliant.

Being pliant and flexible is considered a good trait by the Chinese.

“Collecting all the fruits is not easy. We call each other up if we find some hard-to-find fruits," he said. "This (activity) becomes an opportunity for us to bond. The essence of the collection is to have fun and become closer.”

Dishes that are known to bring luck are also served by some Chinese families.

Fried or steamed fish, said Chua, is prepared because the word fish in Mandarin sounds like the word for excess.

For Chinese-Filipinos, roasted pig or lechon is served together with sweet delicacies like tikoy and masi.

"We give each other masi, which is sweet and sticky and represents how a friendship should be," he said.

Noisemaking is believed to drive evil spirits away.

With the risks posed by firecrackers, he advised everyone to follow his mother.

“She uses a tin can containing coins, and makes noise with it as she goes around the house,” he said. (BAP/Sun.Star Cebu)