Dating Expression: sampaguitas dating

Sampaguitas Dating was chosen after careful consideration of the qualities of a Filipina. Asian girls and even women from other countries included. I believe that the stories about the flower and the qualities it has come to stand for, can in a way, describe a pinay and is a compliment to a Filipina. There are so many desirable traits and characteristics to a babae (meaning girl or female) that they deserve a recognition. (A quick note about the word pinay. Some people say it can be derogatory but most every source I have found says otherwise. So, no insult intended.)

The sampaguita flower has its name rooted in Philippine legend and lore and plays a part in its culture. It was named the national flower of the P.I. (Philippine Islands) by the American Governor-general Frank Murphy in 1934.
As a reference for you I provided this link. Philippines National Flower

"© Depositphotos.com/[Digifuture(Vitali Dyatchenko)"

This variety of jasmine represents humility, purity, simplicity and strength; sometimes including love, dedication, devotion and fidelity.
After conducting my own research into the subject and after having been here for awhile I came to the conclusion that these things should also symbolize a compliment to the Pinay and be chosen for the name of Sampaguitas Dating.

Qualities of a Filipina: Humility, Purity, Simplicity, Strength.

image © Derrick Block

Looking into the Republics past, hearing the stories about the lands women and then looking at the present and seeing how much they do to support the family unit and the economy in general it was natural to feel this way. I say this because if you are here for any length of time, you will notice that most establishments whether they are stores or other businesses have more women than men in the front lines and back offices. It is common to find that the girls are working long hours and often times are not paid very well. But, they persevere for themselves and for the futures of their families. The men while important seem to generally be employed in other sectors such as construction, security and the maritime industries and that is a topic for another story.

Sampaguitas comes from the words "sumpa kita" and has depending on the source, a few different meanings that pretty much stand for the same sort of thing. One source gives the meaning "I promise you" while another one gives "You are my promise... You are my vow!" and "I swear, I swear" in another. Still a different source translates it into "I pledge myself to you." Basically, to me all the different translations have the same meaning. Strength and purity of devotion to your love!

The legends of the flower I feel are a little varied as I have found more than one story concerning it, but in general they tend to stand for the same type of thing. A love that is strong and pure, with an undying devotion.

Would You Die for Love

One story is about the beautiful Rosita and the only man who captured her heart, the handsome Delfin. Their respective baraguys had a disagreement over the boundary line. Neither side would give in and those types of disagreements usually resulted in bloodshed. So, the two sides prepared and did battle. It was a very bloody affair and Delfin was mortally wounded. Before he died however, he asked his men to take and bury him near the end of the fence line where he and Rosita used to meet in secret.
Rosita heard about what had happened to her love and became seriously sick. Before she had passed away she had requested to be buried with her eternal love, Delfin, near the end of the fence.

Many years passed and new generations lived in the two baranguys, but all the people living in the area heard, especially during the month of May, the wonderfully sweet voice of a woman saying "sumpa kita...sumpa kita!" (I swear! I swear!) only nobody ever saw anyone in the vicinity. The voice seems to come from little white flowers that produce such a wonderful fragrance that anyone who smells it, immediately loves it. With the passage of time the phrase "sumpa kita" has become to be pronounced sampaguita!

Here is another reference.
The Legend of the Sampaguita

A second short narration of the legend consists of two lovers. A warrior named Lakam Galing and his lover Lakambini. Before Lakam would go into battle, the two lovers would say "sumpa kita" to express their devotion to each other. When he was killed in a battle she died in grief and little white flowers grew on her grave as a symbol of her love.

A third legend tells of a beautiful princess named Guita whose father was a ruthless king who had hopes she would meet a prince from a strong kingdom. Instead, Guita met a slave named Sampague, or Sampa, while she was roaming the kingdom and fell in love with him. Her father, the king, found out and ordered Guita to stop seeing Sampa. Guita and Sampa eloped and hid deep in the woods to escape punishment. Her father then sent his soldiers to search the land until they were found. After finding the young love birds the soldiers killed them and buried them in their hiding spot. The king then was filled with remorse and went to visit the grave. He found a shrub with white flowers that had the most wonderful fragrance. He took the fragrance as a sign that he was forgiven by the couple and named the plant Sampaguita.

There are other versions of these legends and stories that I have heard and am not recounting here, so if you are interested do some internet research or even ask a Filipino.

When you get to know a Pilipina (not a typing mistake it is Tagalog, the national language) you realize that there is a greater depth to them than meets the eye. Not knowing the culture and language can confuse a person and give the wrong impression so be careful not to jump to the wrong conclusion. You will probably get a real surprise and even a rude awakening if you don't.

I also want to point out that to somebody not born here it can take along time to learn all you can about the culture and that there are some things that are never really explained or acknowledged.
Welcome to a foreign country is all I can say.
In all the time that I have spent in the Philippines and observed the Philippine lady I believe that the flower is a fitting symbol and a compliment to the Filipina.

That is how Sampaguitas Dating was chosen as the name of this blog and also as the name for the dating site Sampaguitas.(Link to Sampaguitas is at the top right of the page!)

We are still Sampaguitas Dating but have a new name and updated focus! Dating Expression.