Pasalubong is the Filipino

Filipino people

The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....

 tradition of a homecoming gift. The word is Tagalog

Tagalog language

Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...

, literally meaning "[something] meant for you when you welcome me back." It is one of the most distinctive and widely practiced Filipino traditions. Pasalubong can be any gift or souvenir brought for family, loved ones, or friends after being away for a period of time. It can also be any gift given by someone arriving from a distant place.

Description

Pasalubong is a Tagalog

Tagalog language

Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...

 word, a variant of the word pansalubong or pangsalubong. It comes from the root word "salubong" which means "(to) welcome", "to meet", or "reception". The prefix "pa-" is a contraction of "pang-", roughly equivalent to the English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 suffix "-er". Thus, the word "pasalubong" can be roughly translated as "something meant for you when you welcome me back." The word has minor celebratory connotations, as in rejoicing the safe homecoming of someone who was away for a time.

In Visayan languages, pasalubong is also referred to as tinabuan in Cebuano

Cebuano language

Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...

 and sinugatan in Hiligaynon

Hiligaynon language

Hiligaynon, often referred to as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian language spoken in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.Hiligaynon is concentrated in the provinces of Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Capiz but is also spoken in the other provinces of the Panay Island group, including Antique,...

. Both of which have the same meanings as the Tagalog word. The Philippine English

Philippine English

Philippine English is the variety of English used in the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of the country, the other being Filipino, a standardized version of Tagalog.English is used in education,...

 acronym B.H. (for "Bring Home") is also frequently used.

Pasalubong, in general, is a "gift for a relation or friend brought by a traveler returning from a trip," and could also refer to "anything given as a gift to someone on the way home to a certain place." It could also mean "homecoming gift" or any present which signifies appreciation to the services rendered by the recipient.

The pasalubong usually consists of native delicacies or indigenous things from the region or country where the traveler came from. For example, a vacationer coming back from Iloilo

Iloilo

Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...

 might bring home some piyaya to his family, while someone coming home from Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

 might bring macadamia nuts. The length of time the person is away is inconsequential. A pasalubong can be given coming home from work each day to returning to one's hometown after decades of being in another country.

Pasalubong are also associated with the balikbayan, Overseas Filipino

Overseas Filipino

An Overseas Filipino is a person of Philippine origin who lives outside of the Philippines. This term applies both to people of Filipino ancestry who are citizens or residents of a different country and to those Filipino citizens abroad on a more temporary status.Most overseas Filipinos migrate to...

s returning to the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. While this term once meant someone who has returned (balik) from journeying to a place other than one's town (bayan), it has in recent times, been associated with overseas travel.

Cultural significance

The tradition of giving a pasalubong is of great cultural importance for Filipinos as it strengthens the bond with the immediate family, relatives, and friends. In rarer instances, it can even be used to forge stronger relationships with someone you may not know that well, as with someone you may be meeting for the first time.

The gesture of handing out pasalubong emphasizes the gladness at reuniting with one's loved ones and the relief at being back home safe. It is also a sign of thoughtfulness. While pasalubong are not compulsory or even expected, failing to bring pasalubong for someone can sometimes be perceived negatively. Particular importance is given to gifts for children, and the anticipation of getting pasalubong from a parent coming home is often a cherished childhood memory for most Filipinos.

By bringing gifts with regional significance (e.g. things that cannot be acquired locally), the person coming home can also share part of his travels. It similar to the western concept of souvenirs except that it is not meant for personal remembrance but for sharing the experience with others. Especially as the different islands and regions of the Philippines can have different languages, local customs, and cuisine specialties. The pasalubong serves as a 'sample' of another region's specialty, bringing different Filipino cultures closer together. They can also simply be gifts likely to be appreciated.

Unlike western gifts, pasalubong are not wrapped, but are given as is. The person who gives the pasalubong can also freely partake of the gift.

Typical pasalubong

Various regions in the Philippines have their own specialties in food, handicrafts, and the like. These are promoted to local tourists via the pasalubong custom. It is not unusual for bus stops to have stalls nearby which sell the specialty pasalubong of the respective regions they are located in.

For instance binagol, made with sweetened mashed giant taro called talian and packed in half of a leaf-covered coconut shell, is a popular pasalubong from the Eastern Visayas region and has its roots from the town of Dagami, Leyte

Dagami, Leyte

Dagami is a municipality in the Province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the August 2007 census of population in the Philippines, the town has a population of 30,451 inhabitants with a density of 188 persons per square kilometer...

. Dagami-on, as the townsfolk are known, would bring this pasalubong whenever they travel back to, say, Manila

Manila

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

 or abroad. A person traveling to Davao City

Davao City

The City of Davao is the largest city in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Its international airport and seaports are among the busiest cargo hubs in the Philippines....

 may bring back durian

Durian

The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...

, while another visiting Cebu

Cebu

Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...

 might buy utap.

They don't always have to be regionally significant, however. Pasalubong can range from ordinary sweets (like chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

s), regional delicacies, to imported confectionery

Confectionery

Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...

 goods. They can also be other items like clothing, accessories, novelty items, ornaments, handicraft items, artwork, and toys, among others. They can even be ordinary things that may be hard to acquire in a given region.

Pasalubong can be as mundane as fast-food take-outs, toys, snacks or fruit given to children below 10 years of age by a parent coming home from work. It can also be as exotic as a balikbayan box

Balikbayan box

A balikbayan box is a ubiquitous corrugated box containing any number of small items and sent by an overseas Filipino known as a "balikbayan"...

 filled with gifts from a foreign country; it is an adaptation of the idea of the pasalubong for the Filipino diaspora. Unlike traditional pasalubong, these are not usually given in person but are sent by air freight.

See also

• Meibutsu
  Meibutsu
  Meibutsu is a Japanese term for famous products associated with particular regions. Meibutsu are usually items of Japanese regional cuisine, although the category includes local handicrafts. Meibutsu typically have a traditional character, although contemporary products may qualify as meibutsu...
  
  (regional specialties) and omiyage (souvenirs) – Japanese equivalent