Joanna Marie O. Santos
August 08, 2023

August is a special month dedicated to our mother tongue. For students, it means a month-long celebration of Buwan ng Wika at their schools. It involves various activities and contests to showcase their talents and value our cultural identity. Through folk dances, singing contests, and parading in national costumes, young people embrace our ideals and traditions that unify us in being Filipinos.

While Filipino is our official national language, the Philippines has eight major languages, and over 130 more are spoken in different regions and by different ethnic groups. To reflect our linguistic diversity, this year’s theme for Buwan ng Wika is “Filipino at mga Katutubong Wika: Wika ng Kapayapaan, Seguridad, at Ingklusibong Pagpapatupad ng Katarungang Panlipunan.” It aims to promote cultural inclusivity and shine a light on indigenous languages. 

In schools, our teachers inspire our nationalism and encourage us to participate in various activities with the objective to promote our language, traditions, and identity, usually through the forms of art. 

5 Staple Buwan ng Wika Activities at School

Today, we’re going over five Buwan ng Wika activities that you surely have experienced back in elementary or high school. Remember a particular day in August when you had to go to school wearing baro’t saya with bakya or a Katipunero outfit a la Andres Bonifacio? 

1. Sabayang Pagbikas

A group of 10 or more students selects and memorizes a long Filipino piece to perform in front of everyone. It requires perfect synchronization so students usually stay after class to practice their performance, determined to win against other groups. Sabayang Pagbigkas fuels a (sometimes not-so-friendly) competition between grade sections. It’s one of those group competitions that you watch and cheer your classmates for as they recite and shout and even act on stage in their chosen costumes. 

_{Photo: Filipino History, News and Classic Stories via Facebook}

2. Balagtasan

A balagtasan is a traditional Filipino form of debate done in verse, named after one of the greatest Filipino poets, Francisco Balagtas. Balagtasan is an art form in which two opposing sides convey their opinions on the given debate topic, but they have to do so in rhyme and rhythm as if delivering a poem. It’s an engaging and entertaining activity that hones one’s artistic skills and wits. Balagtasan crowns those who are well-versed in the Filipino language. Who knows, it might even be the reason you discover a passion and talent for poetry, just like Balagtas himself.

_{Photo: Bulaklak ng Lahing Kalinis-linisan Jose Corazon De Jesus | Wikang Filipino Balagtasan via YouTube}

3. Deklamasyon

If you were any good at public speaking, you have probably been selected to join a declamation contest. During Buwan ng Wika, individual participants pick out a dramatic or inspiring narrative piece to memorize. They deliver the speech on stage along with proper stance, gestures, conviction, and intonation. As a young student, it’s a good opportunity for you to help build your self-confidence, practice your public speaking skills, and develop comprehension skills, all of which become important as you get older. 

_{Photo: Tunay na Baliw | Deklamasyon | BDS via YouTube}

4. Folk Dance

Buwan ng Wika is not limited to celebrating our national language, it also encompasses the promotion of our diverse traditions in other forms of art. When it comes to folk dances, ours are truly unique and creative, whether it’s tinikling or pandanggo sa ilaw. At the school event, dance groups perform a folk dance wearing the appropriate attire to showcase their talents and the richness of our culture.

_{Photo: Tatler Asia}

5. Poster making

Poster making is a staple activity not only during Buwan ng Wika but any other school events as well. It’s when you have to bring art materials to school to draw and paint an artistic poster that aligns with that year’s theme. A drawing of the Philippine flag would usually appear on paper, surrounded by a book and cartoon people in traditional attire. Colors of red, blue, and yellow pop out. Through art, students get to be creative in expressing their thoughts, and their imagination is challenged to think of things to draw that represent our cultural identity–and it’s amazing to see just how talented young Filipino artists are. 

_{Photo: alagadngsining5 via Deviant Art}

Celebrating Buwan ng Wika Through Forms of Art

In many ways, language is a culmination and expression of one’s culture. Sadly, young people in our country get led astray from our traditional values and ideals by foreign influences nowadays. They forget their cultural roots and lose interest in immersing themselves in our traditions. 

Buwan ng Wika reigns them back in through education and active participation in various art forms such as singing, dancing, and writing. In this regard, teachers are the modern heroes who ensure students realize the significance of this event through these various learning experiences and creative activities. And surely, we all have fond memories of our own Buwan ng Wika days that have helped shape our Filipino identity and stoked our talents and passions.