Bayanihan A Filipino way of helping hand

Bayanihan is a term used by Filipinos that refers to a spirit of unity to achieve a particular task or objective. It is also sometimes referred to an action that brings up people from all walks of life to lend a hand in helping others in need.

Back in the old tradition of Filipinos wherein houses are made of Nipa Hut or “Bahay Kubo”, they used to do Bayanihan to help a family move to a new place through any form of voluntary transport of the house to another location.  How did they do this? Well, all kinds of Bahay Kubo back then are just temporarily built in one place.  Now the process of   Bayanihan is to literally transport the house to its new location.  People used to put long bamboo poles at the base of the Bahay Kubo by forming a robust frame.  This frame will serve as a temporary base of the Bahay Kubo house to make it stable while it is being transported.  The volunteers will lift the stilts from the ground and carry the whole house with the men positioned at the ends of each pole.

In a contemporary society today, the term Bayanihan is not anymore focusing on the transport of the Bahay kubo but instead it is now adopted as a local civil effort to resolve national issues such as helping each other during any calamities or supporting any group in solving any problem that may arise.