Buwan ng Wika: EveryJuan Admiring Life With Hue

“He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish.”

The world was a shade of grey when humans can't find a way to converse with each other, until languages came into view to give color.

To fully appreciate the colorful heritage in the Philippines, they honor their language through a month-long fiesta, "Buwan ng Wika".

Buwan ng Wika is an annual celebration in August that commemorates all the numerous native languages from such a small country, including their official language, Filipino.

The former week-long "Linggo ng Wika", which was then extended in 1993, is usually honored, mostly in schools, with Filipinos wearing their Barong Tagalog or Baro't Saya, while showing various ways to appreciate the color their language has.

Just because some Filipinos are in different parts of the world embracing different hues, doesn't mean they can't celebrate all on their own and appreciate the colors of their roots, because according to Edmund de Waal, "with languages, you are at home everywhere."

This national language month has become a reminiscence for some Filipinos who are very blinded with the chroma of others.

It does not come by shock to everybody that Filipinos embrace other languages, such as Korean, Japanese, and Thai, which often results in them neglecting and losing the color of ours.

This neglect had not been wanted by our heroes of yesterday. They have fought blood, sweat, and tears, through their swords or quills, just to show the universe our uniqueness and to give us a bright hue for a bright future.

We, Filipinos, are very lucky to have a one-of-a-kind language and a month to remind us, from the fallen heroes of the past to the modern lives in the present and in the future,  its importance on how dull and monochromatic our lives will be without it.