Mano po.

Filipino kids learn early on to respect their elders. Besides being obedient and humble, we were taught to speak with respect, and that means using plural pronouns and adding "po" to sentences. "Po" does not translate to English at all. It simply indicates a respectful stance.

Another custom that we were taught is to "mano"* or touch an elder's right hand to your forehead. It's like asking for a blessing, kinda like kissing the pope's ring. At the same time, you say, "Mano po."

The last time I was in the Philippines, I was among the younger generation and I was the one who used "po" and who did the "mano." All of a sudden, I'm among the older generation, and many younger cousins and nieces and nephews are grabbing my hand to touch to their foreheads and adding "po" to every sentence.

All of a sudden, I feel old.


* "Mano", with emphasis on the first syllable, is a Tagalog word that comes from the Spanish word for "hand." The "mano" in "Mano ti sakam?" has the emphasis on the second syllable and is in Ilocano, a dialect used in parts of northern Philippines. There are 1,700 dialects used in the country. (I remember that number because there are 7,100 islands in the country. Possibly more during low tide. ;-) ) There are several words in Tagalog that have different meanings depending on which syllable the emphasis falls on. In grade school, we learned to use different accent marks to indicate where the emphasis falls, but I forget what they are, primarily because grade school was eons ago!