Who is Ethel? - Filiplino Catholic Custom

[Dabyano]

One day, this message appeared on my e-mail at work. There was a picture of a beautiful Filipina and a short message, which said that her aunt, Ethel, had told her to wirte to me.

Well, I didn't belong to any kind of pen pal group or service, I didn't kinow anybody named Ethel and this message was addressed to me by my first name. No one but no one calls me by my first name, except bill collectors or my mother, when I have done something that displeases her. Everyone calls me by my nickname. [Speaking of nicknames, Filipino nicknames make me crazy. I'll write about it in my blog section, later.]

I figured that the e-mail had been misdirected or maybe even it was some kind of scam. I didn't reply, but I didn't delete it either, the girl in the picture was really pretty and I kinda liked looking at it, several times a day.

Three or four days passsed then, down in the cafeteria, I saw a coworker,who is a Filipina, Maria. I had seen her around the building a few times and had spoken to her and we had gone to coffee a few times. Of course, I found out that she was already attached, so things never went any further than coffee.

Well, on this day, she came over to where I was sitting and asked me if I had received a picture of a beautiful lady. I was about to say "No", when I remembered the e-mail. I told her about how this strange message had appeared on my e-mail a few days before and how the person had said that her aunt Ethel told her to write to me.

It was at this point that I learned about a Filipino practice that had been completely hidden from me. Appearently, in this Catholic country, it is common for Filipino parents to name a girl child Maria, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, as a frist name, but to call her by her second name.

Being unaware of the custom, I and everybody else here in USA called Maria by her fist hame.....but back home in the Phils......Eveverybody calls her by her second name, Ethelda, because the first name, Maria, is sacred. When Maria revealed that she was called Ethelda back home in the Phils, a little bit of the mystery cleared up and I learned about another custom.

[Dabyano]

Originally Posted by Dabyano

One day, this message appeared on my e-mail at work. There was a picture of a beautiful Filipina and a short message, which said that her aunt, Ethel, had told her to wirte to me.

Well, I didn't belong to any kind of pen pal group or service, I didn't kinow anybody named Ethel and this message was addressed to me by my first name. No one but no one calls me by my first name, except bill collectors or my mother, when I have done something that displeases her. Everyone calls me by my nickname. [Speaking of nicknames, Filipino nicknames make me crazy. I'll write about it in my blog section, later.]

I figured that the e-mail had been misdirected or maybe even it was some kind of scam. I didn't reply, but I didn't delete it either, the girl in the picture was really pretty and I kinda liked looking at it, several times a day.

Three or four days passsed then, down in the cafeteria, I saw a coworker,who is a Filipina, Maria. I had seen her around the building a few times and had spoken to her and we had gone to coffee a few times. Of course, I found out that she was already attached, so things never went any further than coffee.

Well, on this day, she came over to where I was sitting and asked me if I had received a picture of a beautiful lady. I was about to say "No", when I remembered the e-mail. I told her about how this strange message had appeared on my e-mail a few days before and how the person had said that her aunt Ethel told her to write to me.

It was at this point that I learned about a Filipino practice that had been completely hidden from me. Appearently, in this Catholic country, it is common for Filipino parents to name a girl child Maria, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, as a frist name, but to call her by her second name.

Being unaware of the custom, I and everybody else here in USA called Maria by her fist hame.....but back home in the Phils......Eveverybody calls her by her second name, Ethelda, because the first name, Maria, is sacred. When Maria revealed that she was called Ethelda back home in the Phils, a little bit of the mystery cleared up and I learned about another custom.

I forgot to say that the beautiful Filipina in the e-mail, later became my beautiful wife, Wing.