Mabuhay! Check Out This Pinoy-Themed Seventh Birthday Party Where The Celebrant Dressed As Heneral Luna

If you’re planning an upcoming birthday party and already tired of the usual themes like superheroes or princesses, we just found a unique inspiration for your child’s birthday party theme!

Smart Parenting talked to Chi Angad-Fuentebella, whose son had an all-Filipino themed birthay party! “The idea really came from my son. He was watching over the internet and discovered Heneral  Luna,” Chi Angad-Fuentebella said. 

Her son, Francis Pio, came to his celebration in a Heneral Luna costume! She continued, “He became fascinated with it around two months before his actual birthday. Just as we were about to start planning, we asked him and all he wanted was to become Heneral Luna.”

Details we love

It’s not just the unique birthday theme, but it was all the intricate details that made Pio’s party unique and special. For example, the table centerpiece included abanico fans for each guest, photos of unique Pinoy things like daing, mag-tataho, an empty bottle of San Miguel beer and a 3D paper jeepney. Each table also had a basket full of Pinoy snacks like lumpia, Cheepee and Potchi. 

We asked Mommy Chi how they planned the party. “My husband Raymund and I started planning five weeks before the actual birthday. Pio’s exact birthday is June 21, which was a weekday and we initially wanted to celebrate it on a weekend. I had to do a lot of the DIY because I was also out of the country 5 days before his party,” she shared. 

“I started to look for pegs on Pinterest and stumbled upon a paper jeepney which I knew I had to include in the table decorations. It was quite expensive though to buy the template so I had to make one and customize it. It all started from there,” Mommy Chi added.

Aside from their son’s interest in Heneral Luna, Mommy Chi and her husband also thought that the party is a great way to show their son how parties during the 90s were like. “Raymund pitched in that in line with the Filipino theme, we want to show our son how we had parties, games and things we enjoyed during our childhood.” Adding to the long list of special details were the Philippine flag cake, kakanin buffet, and a mag-tataho serving hot taho. 

Because the birthday theme is unique, there were not a lot of readily available party decor options so she made most of it. “A lot of the decorations were DIY because there were very limited designs in the market given its unique theme. Luckily, I found the supplier for the backdrop and I knew it would definitely spruce up the venue.”

Another special detail we love about the party is the sari-sari store. Mommy Chi shared how they came up with the idea, “The tindahan was an integral part of the party. We always tell our son that everything was readily available for kids back in the day when you go to a tindahan. This also served us a photo booth for guests. Kids and  even the adults were thrilled to see rotary telephone which I borrowed from a colleague. We wanted them to experience how it feels like buying something in the actual store.”

The sari-sari store was filled with Pinoy favorites today's parents likely grew up with. To add thrill and fun to the party, the Fuentebellas chose to play Pinoy games. “Old school games such as Pio went to market and cookie game (contorting one's face to move a cookie from the forehead to one's mouth) were included in the program. One highlight game for the adults was when we played Pera o Kahon, games that are no longer familiar to a lot of the younger generations.”

Th Fuentebellas gave out Pinoy awards for the guests like ‘Pinaka-maagap’, ‘Pinaka-magandang gayak’, ‘Pinaka-malikhaing gayak, etc. Mommy Chi said, “Guests, young and old, were quite impressed and happy with the theme. A lot of them are indeed dressed up!” Some of the kids who came to the party wore traditional Filipino costumes like the baro’t saya. 

And of course, the loot bags for giveaways were full of 90's toys like pick-up sticks, bubbles, snakes and ladders, and a jump rope.

But nothing is more important on a birthday celebration than what celebrant felt. “He was actually thrilled about it, especially about his costume,” Mommy Chi said about her son’s reaction to his party.

Looking for more unique birthday party themes? This girl has a Wednesday Addams theme!