Hollywood pancit party teaches Filipino New Year traditions

Barkada head chef Josh Robles hosts a pancit cooking demonstration on Sunday during a New Year Pancit Party hosted by community organization FilAm Fam. INQUIRER/Agnes Constante

LOS ANGELES –Several people inside a Filipino restaurant in Hollywood are unraveling a yellow ball of yarn and passing it around the room.

Meanwhile, a musician sings a song about pancit, which the yarn represents.

“How long, how long, pancit noodles keep us strong,” she sings. “How long, how long, good life and good health to all.”

It’s Sunday afternoon and it’s all part of a New Year’s Pancit Party organized by FilAm Fam, a community organization that seeks to connect Filipino Americans in Los Angeles and teach them about the culture.

At the restaurant, roughly three dozen people in attendance — the majority of whom are Filipino — learn about Filipino New Year traditions like eating pancit for long life and good health, wearing polka dots, eating round fruits for prosperity, and jumping at midnight to grow taller.

Eating pancit is a Filipino New Year tradition that represents good health and long life, and is believed to bring good luck. INQUIRER/Agnes Constante

Of those who attended Sunday’s event, one person who wasn’t taught about Filipino New Year traditions growing up was Julie Cruz, founder of FilAm Fam.

“I’m learning about it because I’m on this journey like everyone else, just learning about our roots,” she said. “There’s some things that I already know, but then there’s some things like this that I don’t. So, I’m learning as I’m teaching the group as well.”

Sunday’s event also featured a reading of the children’s book “Cora Cooks Pancit,” pretend pancit arts and crafts, and a pancit cooking demonstration. Attendees were then given plates of pancit to eat for the new year.

In the way that Sunday’s pancit party linked the New yYear to Filipino traditions, Cruz said she’s aiming to hold monthly events in Los Angeles that connect a holiday or season to Filipino culture.

Attendees of a Filipino New Year’s Pancit Party on Sunday in Los Angeles had the opportunity to “cook” pretend pancit with yarn, foam and construction paper. INQUIRER/Agnes Constante

After establishing FilAm Fam in October, Cruz hosted a screening of the short film “Float” – which featured Pixar’s first Filipino American character – in November, as well as a pop-up kamayan friendsgiving feast. In December, she hosted a meet-up where attendees were able to make parol lanterns and bahay kubo gingerbread houses, she said.

Future events planned include a balikbayan box Valentine’s Day workshop, kids’ kamayan, cooking class series and Filipino paint nights.

“It’s just really taking what’s out there and then creating new experiences that help teach about our culture,” Cruz said. “And I think now is the time. It’s so ripe. Filipino Americans are on the rise and people are becoming more aware of the culture.”