Philippines villagers help carry elderly man's home so he could live closer to his family

Filipinos are known for their unity and harmony. You may have heard of the proverb, "It takes an entire village," but it is not very often that you see people engaging in teamwork to achieve a common goal. A tradition known as "Bayanihan" among Filipinos involves a community coming together to support and care for one another. In books, this term is highlighted by showing an entire rural village carrying a family’s nipa hut and helping them move to a new location to be closer to their families. Since this is an old tradition, Filipinos and other people were surprised to witness it in a now-viral Reddit video. 

Filipino villagers are seen carrying an elderly man's house on their shoulders in the video that has received over 69.4K upvotes on Reddit. They balanced the weight of the house by attaching bamboo poles underneath it. Reddit user (westcoastcdn19) said the house belonged to a man who wanted to live near his children after getting widowed. “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 wrote, adding that his daughter cooked a meal for their neighbors to show her gratitude. “It was like a fiesta.”

"This is literally old-school Filipino "Bayanihan" culture. Our school textbook has the whole community helping out to move Nipa Huts as a prime example. You'll even see it depicted in paintings. I never thought this sort of event still happens today. As most homes here are now built with concrete, hollow blocks, and rebar," wrote u/iMadrid11. The word "Bayanihan" is derived from the Tagalong word "bayan" for nation, town, or community. According to Mixed Culture, the volunteers who carry the house use bamboo poles that are tied length-wise and cross-wise and go under the house. Around 15 to 20 people are needed to move the home to its new location.

This spirit Bayanihan is all about helping one another in times of need without expecting anything in return. Filipinos believe in helping their “kababayans" (fellow countrymen) in any way they can. The tradition is still alive in rural areas and the Bayanihan spirit lives on among Filipinos even in modern days and has been showcased in many instances. During natural calamities, Filipinos go out of their way to assist their fellow “kababayans" who are in need. "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.