Laro ng Lahi?

Many of you may ask, “What is Laro ng Lahi” or “Larong Lahi” as some of you may pronounce it.

Laro ng Lahi, or in English, Games your kind are the games that were developed or created by our fellow Filipinos. They are significant treasures of our past. Our ancestors formulated them, who passed them down to their sons and then to their grandsons, eventually passing them down to us.

Larong Lahi is not specific. Rather, it is a catch-all term for many individual games and sporting events. Some are relatively simple, requiring little to no equipment, and can be played with a few or even just one player, while others require lots of players, preparation, and even equipment.

It's a local heritage that even now continues to be popular and fun among all groups of people regardless of income, status, race, or location. Ranging from relatively young kids living in remote barrios to affluent teenagers living in private subdivisions, Larong Lahi has definitely made its way into our cultural zeitgeist and has influenced many people.

Laro ng Lahi in Danger of Vanishing

One of the nations renowned for its rich, varied cultural history and distinctive customs is the Philippines. Strongly affected by the many colonizers, from the Spanish to the Americans to neighboring Japan, their long histories and exchanges combine to form the foundation of our current society. Indeed, the distinctiveness, vivacity, and spirituality of our rituals profoundly represent the Filipino identity.

While we are progressively entering the world of globalization, and the advancement it brought to the nation is excellent, on the downside, it has slowly taken the vital elements that have already been a part of our culture and customs for many decades.

The world in which we live is advancing technologically. This is the era when millennials frequently ignore these traditional games in favor of new technology. However, several studies have found that these age-old Filipino pastimes benefit our physical, social, and emotional well-being. This type of physical stamina and endurance training strengthens your immune system. Additionally, the social component was established, which is crucial for child development. Playing with other kids improves confidence and communication abilities. It's beneficial in that it also strengthens our feeling of cultural identity. Our advocacy aims to prevent traditional games, such as laro ng lahi, from being irrelevant.

Benefits of Playing Laro ng Lahi

1) Heart and circulatory system: Regular exercise or playing healthy games makes the heart muscles stronger and more efficient. The heart-beats of an athlete do not increase appreciably even when doing something requiring physical exertion, and revert very soon to the normal rate afterwards. In contrast, even a little exertion sends the pulse rate of a sedentary individual rocketing up, and it takes time for the heart to settle down to its normal rate of beating. The blood vessels dilate during exercise, and so more blood reaches the muscles. It has been found that during vigorous or rapid exercise, the blood circulation in certain muscles and organs increases 25 to 30 times, thus supplying the muscles and organs with more oxygen and a larger number of red blood corpuscles.

2) The respiratory system: Breathing becomes not only more rapid, but also deeper, thus making increased quantities of oxygen available.

3) The musculature: Healthy Games strengthens the muscles, promotes their development and increases their efficiency. Stronger muscles lend better support to the joints.

4) The skin: The pores of the skin open up during exercise. The result is a healthier skin, because of more efficient disposal of impurities and dirt.

5) Temperature of the body: The temperature of the body rises during playing. This promotes the burning up of the toxic substances in the body.

Laro ng Lahi Experiences

"Laro ng lahi" holds a special place to the children of the Philippines who played outside with friends and family as well as on festivals. These games give memories of childhood bliss out in summer or just after school in the afternoon playing without a care to mundane things, enjoying the air, relishing in the mood, and overall just having a good time with other kids outside. As adults the memories will be like bittersweet experiences due to having more responsibility now; however people can always look back and find a sliver of happiness. As for personal experiences I myself got a lot of injuries from playing these games, I even have scars on my knees still present due to playing too much. I wasn't that active of a kid back then but I still played because I don't know- I was a kid I wanted to play.

Importance of Laro ng Lahi in the Modern Days

The importance of “Laro ng Lahi” in modern times is still very relevant to the youth who are playing on the streets of barangays and towns, it also keeps these games from being forgotten. "Laro ng lahi" is sort of like a cultural street legacy that most children in the Philippines have played at least once when they were young. These games keep the cultural values of the predecessors of this land alive, all the way back to the old times when the ancestors of the children roaming the streets playing these very games when the ground was still vibrant with green flora.

Examples of Laro ng Lahi

Hukbo

Batuhang Bola

Dampa

Tumbang Preso

Luksong Tinik

Luksong Lubid

Conclusion

In general, Laro ng Lahi, our Traditional Filipino Games, are an integral and essential part of our culture. These games give us a glimpse into our past and our culture. Despite all the modernity that globalization has brought, it's imperative that we keep this spirit of tradition alive no matter what. May this blog inspire you, dear reader, to continue the spirit our ancestors passed down toward us. We hope that you have learned much from your time here.

Thank you for visiting our site.
Now go out there and explore laro ng lahi to your heart's content!

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