Panddango Sa Ilaw (Candle Dance)
What it is:
Pandddango saw Ilaw, more commonly known in America as the Candle Dance, is a traditional Filipino dance that originated during the Spanish Colonial Period of the Philippines (1565 - 1898). It is a traditional folk dance that involves balancing candles, glasses of water, and glasses of wine on one’s head and other parts of the body as you dance. It can be danced solo, with a partner, or in a larger group.
Origins:
A common Spanish dance during the colonial period, called the Fandango, is the origin of the Panddango Saw Ilaw. After being introduced to the islands, the Fandango eventually evolved into a new dance, the Panddango sa Ilaw, or the Candle Dance. It is believed to have originated in the Mindoro region of the Philippines, one of the seven large islands of the Philippines, before its popularity spread across the archipelago.
Sayang ng Pera (Money Dance)
What it is:
The money dance is a traditional folk dance done at many weddings in various cultures. In the Philippines, known as Sayang ng Pera, the dance traditionally involves pinning paper bills to the married couple as each guest dances with them. Instead of pinning the money onto the married couple, baskets can also be passed around to collect guests’ gifts. The gifting of cash is meant to be a symbolic gesture of the guest wishing good fortune, prosperity and longevity in the couple’s marriage.
Our Plan​
For our Special Day, Eamon and I have decided to combine the 2 traditions into one dance. For our first dance, we will be performing the Panddango sa Ilaw with the wedding party accompanying. During the dance, we will be passing around a collection basket for everyone to provide their blessings to the couple.
Please keep in mind, this is a symbolic gesture of a guest’s well wishes. It is not required to take part, but participation would mean a lot to me and Eamon. If you do decide to take part, small bills are more than sufficient. It is the participation that matters, not the amount of money gifted.
We recommend planning on coming to the wedding with some $1 or $5 dollar bills for this event. We will also have one of the wedding party present to accept Venmo, Cash app, or Zelle in exchange for physical bills, just in case you forget or decide to participate on the day of.