In the Philippines, a group of villagers came together to assist an elderly man who had recently lost his spouse. They worked together to move his home closer to his children so that he could be closer to his loved ones.
This act of kindness exemplifies the Filipino value of “Bayanihan,” where communities come together to support and care for one another. This tradition has been passed down through generations and is often depicted in literature, where entire villages work together to move a family’s home to a new location.
A video of this heartwarming act has gone viral on Reddit, surprising and inspiring people all over the world.
The viral video on Reddit shows Filipino villagers carrying an elderly man’s house on bamboo poles, receiving over 69.4K upvotes. The man, who recently became widowed, wanted to live near his children, but his house was too heavy for his relatives to move. The villagers came together to help, attaching bamboo poles underneath the house to distribute the weight evenly. A Reddit user with the handle “westcoastcdn19” shared the heartwarming story, highlighting the kindness of the community.
“The grandfather didn’t have anyone to take care of him because his wife was already dead so his children wanted him to live nearby. However, his house was too heavy for his relatives so some of our neighbors volunteered to help,” they added that the man’s daughter expressed her appreciation by preparing a meal for the volunteers who helped move her father’s house. “It was like a fiesta.”
“This is literally old-school Filipino “Bayanihan” culture.
A Reddit user with the handle u/iMadrid11 shared their surprise that the tradition of community members coming together to move homes, as depicted in school textbooks and paintings, still happens today. They noted that most homes are now made with concrete and rebar, making the act more uncommon. The word “Bayanihan” comes from the Tagalog word “bayan,” meaning nation, town, or community. According to Mixed Culture, volunteers use bamboo poles tied lengthwise and crosswise to distribute the weight and move the home. It takes approximately 15 to 20 people to successfully move the house to its new location.
The essence of Bayanihan is rooted in the Filipino value of helping one another in times of need, without expecting anything in return. This spirit of solidarity, known as “kababayan” or “fellow countrymen,” is deeply ingrained in Filipino culture. While it is more commonly practiced in rural areas, the Bayanihan spirit remains alive among Filipinos even in modern times and has been demonstrated in various ways. In times of natural disasters, Filipinos go above and beyond to extend assistance to their fellow kababayans who are in distress.
“This (townsfolk coming together to move an actual house) used to be quite the common practice in the Philippines. The overarching term for it is Bayanihan which literally means “to take part in the community”. bayan = town/community + (h)an = to do together,” said u/heyspalm.
“That is common practice and is the Bayanihan spirit 🌺 It means to be a community/people together. Our word for “hero” stems from it – “Bayani” which is a great name too. Thanks for posting this OP, brought tears to my eyes and a great longing for home in my heart, which to me is the community of my people 💛,” wrote u/Helpful_Yak4639. “It always blows my mind to see humans lifting things like cars and houses together like this. It’s wild what groups of people can do,” added u/alilbleedingisnormal.