NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

So many people ask me this each year, I decided to post a reply from Pale' Eric Forbes from his blog four years ago to save me time. One of these days, I'll make a post of my own and add some other options to the list. ******************** http://paleric.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-do-you-say-merry-christmas-in.html Thursday, December 22, 2011 HOW DO YOU SAY "MERRY CHRISTMAS" IN CHAMORRO? SHORT ANSWER Felis Påsgua or Felis Påsguan Nochebuena or Magof Nochebuena LONG ANSWER First of all, not all cultures have an old custom of using specific greetings for special occasions.  The phrase "Merry Christmas" is an American/British custom.  The phrase appeared in some English writings many hundreds of years back, but didn't become popularized till Christmas cards started using them in the early 1800s.  In times past, "merry" meant "pleasant" or "agreeable."  But it a

Some articles about Puengen Minagof Nochebuena. This past year and some press releases from years before. Si Yu'us Ma'ase to the Pacific Daily News for their generous coverage this year!! Ko'lo'lo'na si Jojo Santos Tomas yan Si Sue Lee! Puede ha' nina'haspok hamoy ni' todu i kinanno'-miyu buñelos gi ma'pos na simana!  ***************** Fashion, doughnuts highlighted at UOG's Puengen Minagof Nochebuena 2015 Jojo Santo Tomas   Pacific Daily News December 3, 2015 Cultural fashion and delicious treats will highlight Puengen Minagof Nochebuena 2015 Friday night at the University of Guam campus, and the public is invited. The event is presented by the  University of Guam Division of Humanities at the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the Chamorro Studies Program. It runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 in the Humanities and Social Sciences Building (HSS) Atrium. "For this year's Puengen Minagof No

This Friday, December 4th from 6 - 9 pm in the HSS Atrium, the CHamoru Language Classes at UOG are organizing their annual event, Puengen Minagof Nochebuena at the University of Guam. The event is free and open to the public. There will be dancing, singing, the praying of a nobena, a fashion show and meggaigai na bonelos. Here is the flyer for the event, the press release, as well as a short interview I did about the event. ***************** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Puengen Minagof Nochebuena 2015 An evening of Chamorro Christmas Traditions The Division of Humanities, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the University of Guam’s Chamorro Studies Program cordially invite the UOG and Guam community to Puengen Minagof Nochebuena, an evening of Chamorro cultural festivities connected to the holiday season. The celebration will take place on Friday, December 4, 2015 from 6 pm – 9 pm in the Humanities and Social Sciences Building (HSS) Atrium.

The issue of gay marriage is really being push right now in Guam. There seems to be a much broader support for it as opposed to a few years ago. There is still some resistance, especially on religious grounds. I haven't seen any reports yet on whether or not local bakeries are supporting or fighting this issue. This is intriguing because as you can see from the reports below, cakes, the making of, the selling of, the religious freedom involved in deciding who you do and do not make cakes for, has become a ground zero of sorts ******************* This Bakery Refused to Serve a Same-Sex Couple and It May Cost Them $135,000 Published: April 26, 2015 | Authors: Aviva Shen | Think Progress | News Report  A bakery that turned away a lesbian couple loo

Ti este i minagahet put i minalago'-hu para Krismas. Guaha mas malago'-hu para i familia-ku para i manguinaiya-ku siha. Lao gi este na tiempo, anai fihu manstrinessed hit todu, maolek na ta hahasso este na siniente, i nina'chalek gi kuttura-ta. Gi minagahet sen ti ya-hu bunelos dagu. Ga'o-ku todu i otro klasin bunelos kinu este. Ya-hu bunelos manglo, bunelos aga', bunelos manha, bunelos mangga, bunelos pina. Lao ya-hu na rumhyme dagu yan hagu gi fino' Chamoru. 

Biba Ha’anin Guinaiya! Michael Lujan Bevacqua Marianas Variety 2/12/14 I Ha’anin Guinaiya or Valentine’s Day is just a few days away. Stores have been stocking up for a while with stuffed animals, special chocolates and scores of imported flowers. Restaurants are offering special deals and reservations are being taken. Surprises are being planned and also some who aren’t great with dates or holidays are letting the week pass completely clueless as to what is coming. People are rushing about trying to find the most ideal way of translating your feelings for someone into an item, an experience, into a series of carefully chosen words. I know that Chamorro month isn’t for a few more weeks, but as a proponent for the use and revitalize of the Chamorro language, I think that we should incorporate Chamorro language into everything humanly possible. So I respectfully ask that as you are working on the best way to communicate your affection/devotion/love/l

--> Tonight the Chamorro Studies Program through the wonderful work of the Chamorro language instructors at UOG held Puengen Minagof Nochebuena, a night for celebrating Chamorro language and culture in the context of Christmas. The event was a great success, with over 250 community members showing up to see the bilens made by Chamorro classes, to sing along to Chamorro Christmas songs and to taste a dozen different kinds of bonelos. Chamorro language is the most popular language course at the University of Guam. Far more students take it than take Japanese a language that everyone feels has more economic value. But even though it is the most popular language and so many students and community members expect that UOG be a place where the language can be learned and preserved, there is currently no tenured full time faculty who teaches Chamorro. The same goes for the new Chamorro Studies program, which is already doing great work both on campus and off, but has no facu

CHamoru Language Classes Host Puengen Minagof 2013 A Christmas Celebration of CHamoru Language and Culture On December 6 from 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm, the University of Guam CHamoru language students will be hosting Puengen Minagof Nochebuena, in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Building. Puengen Minagof is an annual celebration of CHamoru language and culture organized by CHamoru language instructors at the University of Guam. CHamoru language students in classes ranging from beginner to advanced will performing in CHamoru Christmas themed activities. Students will perform a nativity play, recite slam poetry and will sing a variety of CHamoru Christmas carols. Refreshments will be available, most importantly boñelos. This Puengen Minagof will feature many types of boñelos that people may be familiar with, and many new flavors one might not expect. The making of a bilen, or a nativity scene is an important part of CHamoru culture during this time

“The Fourth Kind of Cake” Michael Lujan Bevacqua The Marianas Variety 11/9/11 My column two weeks ago “The Fourth Kind” received some interesting feedback. Some were supportive, some weren’t. For example, some criticized the outdated nature of the UN framework and how the sheer amount of local, national and international inertia on the issue means that new blood, particularly a Fourth Kind of blood should be injected into the discussion through the introduction of a new hybrid status. While this is true, Fourth Kind gospels attract attention in the same way fads do. They feel new and cool, but generally lack any enduring qualities. They are proposed to capture attention, to create conversation, but don’t do much else. History shows, both locally and elsewhere that the Fourth Kind of status has a way of making things appear to be fresh, new, and possible, they also derail the process away from decolonization and towards a solution that doesn’t solve what was initially intended t