IT’S the season of merrymaking again as the Christmas spirit gets stronger, with the festive atmosphere felt almost everywhere after more than two years of lockdowns at home or restrictions on socializing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As to when the health crisis will stay may still be uncertain. Nonetheless, the good thing is that the situation has somehow eased to a point where, it seems, people are overcoming their fears in order to finally resume their stalled holiday traditions.
This holds true, especially with the Philippines having the longest Yuletide period in the world. Celebrated during the “ber” months—from September to October, November and December—it’s the highly anticipated time of the year when the only Catholic-dominated nation in Asia spends it with full revelry and customs.
The fever officially starts on September 1 and ends December 31, with the nonstop radio playing of carols; display of Christmas lights and trees, lanterns or parol, and other decorations; numerous mall sales; corporate and street parties; and the age-old practices, from attending “Simbang Gabi” or nine-day pre-dawn masses up to the eve with the lavish Noche Buena spread and exchange gifts. But it doesn’t stop there. Shortly after the New Year, the holiday cheer continues until the first week of January.
Romance in the air
Excited to observe it anew the prepandemic way, Filipinos have started to plan when, where and how to spend it. Other than the usual preparations leading to Christmas, it’s also the time for many to now find romance as they seek a more meaningful celebration, especially coming from a two-year singlehood status with the ensuing health crisis.
The so-called IRL (short for “in real life”) Holi-Date is heightened as the Christmas season creeps in. While Filipinos look forward to decorating their homes anew and what presents they will buy and give to their loved ones come Yuletide, Bumble, an online dating app, found out that 56 percent of them long for lasting relationships with the relaxation of health measures and protocols, as well as unrestricted face-to-face interactions as pandemic protocols ease.
Based on the fieldwork and online survey it conducted last August, only 5 percent of them indicated that they do not want to date at all. This is despite the fact that almost half (49 percent) of those 1,108 single adult-participants in the poll said they are more worried to go on a date now than before Covid-19 hit China late 2019 and, eventually, the Philippines and the rest of the world in early 2020.
“We know that dating in this post-Covid world can feel anxiety-inducing, as people can feel out of practice and more self-conscious than they felt prior to the pandemic,” Lucille McCart, communications director for Asia Pacific at Bumble, said in their recent media briefing in Makati. “[But] what our research found is that [an] overwhelming [number of] our people in the Philippines are excited about love during the holidays.”
Neuroscience and psychobiology studies consistently confirm this as they indicate that humans are innately social beings and that meaningful relationships help them thrive, according to clinical psychologist Dr. Margie Holmes.
The relationship expert of Bumble emphasized that people really need to connect. Failing to do so makes them feel depressed and anxious. That’s one of the reasons the pandemic was so difficult for many people, particularly for Filipinos who are wired to be sociable, and are typically surrounded by “six people in a house.”
“So when you’re used to that, when you’re alone, it seems like you need to connect in different ways,” Dr. Holmes said. “However, despite our sincere attempts to connect with others, we sometimes make mistakes. Yet because we are wired to connect, we continue to seek healthy and equitable connections with others.”
Single no more
AS the country welcomes the cold “ber” months, two in five of the respondents search for someone to spend with as Christmas draws near. The women-first dating and social-networking app’s report further revealed that 27 percent of those surveyed want a date to bring to family gatherings. Since it’s the season for sharing and giving, 12 percent candidly say they would get into a relationship for gifts.
The close-knit family ties typical of households in the Philippines, however, leaves a very thin line for privacy among loved ones: Filipinos, more often than not, pry into the personal affairs of their loved ones.
In reunions at this time of the year, singles usually are asked: “Wala ka pa ring jowa [You don’t have a partner yet]?” Even if these words pop out with no malice from a relative’s mouth, they still can be hurtful to some. No wonder, 11 percent of the participants expressed their desire to have a partner due to family pressure, with single male millennials (14 percent) as the most prone to this trend.
“Being a bit older, they are more likely to experience such,” she explained. “But I think also it’s like a universal feeling to all people that don’t want to be the only one single person at the holidays or a lot of family gatherings, knowing that they’re gonna have to answer questions about when they will be walking down the aisle—or, are they dating anyone.”
So when asked about why they would bring a date to their get-together with loved ones this Christmas, it’s not surprising for 23 percent of Filipino respondents to cite family pressure as their top motivation to do so; and another 23 percent giving as reason that it’s hard to be the only single attending the gathering.
“They are looking for relationships or looking for dates as some of the reasons for [them to use] this app since they don’t want to be the only single people in family gatherings,” McCart noted.
Where do lonely hearts go?
WITH revenge travel on the rise due to the reopening of most tourist destinations amid the improving Covid situation, people tend to go out, more so during this season. Feeling the cold air, they want to have someone to cuddle with while having a retreat somewhere.
Per Bumble’s study, seven in 10 single Filipinos are open to finding love or going on a date while traveling. Gender-wise, men (72 percent) are slightly inclined to seek a romantic holiday trip than women (68 percent). Most of the respondents fall back on tourist activities (38 percent), followed by online or apps (35 percent) to find a partner.
Because getting love today seems possible at a push of a button, almost three-quarters (74 percent) of those asked are open to and will consider using dating apps while trekking, with more than one in four polled sharing that they’ve actually used and connected with people through these platforms before.
“Across Southeast Asia, the demand for all online products is growing, and dating is no exemption. I think people, especially in markets like the Philippines, are becoming more open to the idea of dating using apps. So we do see that demand growing as the market grows across Southeast Asia, as people get more online and become more open to the concept of dating post-pandemic as well because it’s been a difficult time meeting new people when you have lockdowns and different restrictions. Going into next year when we expect to have a lot less of that, we expect more people to be open to the idea of IRL dating again,” she told the BusinessMirror in a sideline interview.
Seeing that people would want to join the holi-dating scene and travel with someone special this season, Bumble touts itself as a great platform to connect with new people. What makes it different is that no matter the type of relationship, women always make the first move.
“On Bumble, you are a lot more in control of your experience as a woman because you match with the man and, then, it’s up to you how and when you start the conversation,” McCart said.
“Bumble is certainly admirable for providing everyone, especially women, with the means to do so. With their efforts, more women are empowered to do something about connecting and to create their own luck,” Dr. Holmes added.
Founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd in 2014, Bumble connects people across dating (Bumble Date), friendship (Bumble BFF) and professional networking (Bumble Bizz). To date, there have been nearly two billion first moves made and hundreds of engagements, marriages and babies born out of this app. It’s free and widely available in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and the Web.
Image credits: Vladyslav Yushynov | Dreamstime.com
Happy Holi-dates!
Source: News Paper Radio
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