Background of the Study Filipino culture has been known of its meaningful traditions that have, unfortunately, changed because of Western influences over time. With all the richness the Philippine tradition has, the best known culture of the Filipinos is its very own “harana” or serenade which dates back in the Spanish colonization. Harana is a vanished tradition of serenading prevalent in old Philippines. During the old times and in the rural areas of the Philippines, Filipino men would make harana (serenade) the women at night and sing songs of love and affection. This is basically a Spanish influence. The man is usually accompanied by his close friends who provide moral support for the guy, apart from singing with him (Francisco, 1974). While most Filipinos are still familiar with this custom, it is mostly that – only a passing familiarity exists. Filipinos can hardly be blamed because there truly was no in-depth study ever done of this once-important part of Philippine social fabric. Most of what people know came from stereotypical and romanticized versions depicted in old movies and paintings (Aguilar, 2012). Certainly, the research world did not pay much attention to this courtship ritual perhaps because they never considered it an art form and relegated it more as plebeian endeavor of the popular culture. Thus, herewith “harana” is the top most issue of this study.
