Tabo (hygiene)
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The ''tabò'' () is the traditional hygiene tool primarily for cleansing, bathing, and cleaning the floor of the bathroom in the
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East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
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Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
. ''Tabò'' is the Filipino name, while ''gayung'' and ''cebok'' (pronounced chabo') are the equivalent terms used in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
,
Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, and
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
. Its Vietnamese name is ''thau tắm'' or ''chậu nước''. The ''tabò'' could most commonly be found in rural areas though it is also widely used in cities. The word may be related to the word ''cebok'' in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, which describes the process of cleansing oneself using a ''tabò'' (or ''cebok'') in a '' mandi'' (another Bahasa phrase for the ''tabò'' is ''kamar mandi''). The ''tabò'' can sometimes be translated into English as a "dipper" or "pitcher", but according to anthropologist Michael Tan of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, ''tabò'' is much more than a dipper. The plastic ''tabò'' is an almost indispensable fixture in the Filipino home. Filipinos living overseas will bring their own ''tabò'' or even ask their relatives to send one over if they forget. ''Tabò'' is also widely used anywhere in a household for purposes other than bathing, such as for measuring volume. 1 ''tabò'' is often equal to 1 liter, as usually the household ''tabò'' would be the used plastic container of 1 liter of motor oil. A ''tabò'' has similarity in design and use to the ''hishaku'' (柄杓), a Japanese water dipper with a handle made of bamboo.


History

The ''tabo'' is the Filipino version of the dipper that is also well known in other Southeast Asian countries that use their own version of a dipper. The "modern" ''tabo'' was created during the introduction of plastic, using modern material to create the dipper instead of traditional coconut and bamboo materials. In the past, the ''tabo'' was called a ''sartin'', from the Spanish ''sartén''; back then sources of water were sometimes few and far between, which caused the ancestors of today's Filipinos to develop the tool or device. Instead of standing up each time to be able to reach the water source and wash their hands, the ''sartin'' was passed around to save time and, essentially, water, according to historian Lito Nunag of the University of the Philippines-Diliman.


Early use

The early ''tabò'' dating back to the pre-colonial period used to be made out of
coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
shell and
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
, and it was not used as a toilet implement. The ''tabò'' and its equivalent in many traditional homes in Southeast Asia is not so much a toilet item as an all-purpose household object. It is found at the entrance of the house, next to a terracotta water jar, a ''palayók'', so guests can wash their hands and feet before entering the house. There, the ''tabo'' speaks of courtesies, the host's as well as the guest's. In the traditional kitchen, the ''tabo'' is again found with the ''palayók'', which keeps and cools drinking water. The ''tabò'' is strategically located there for the purposes of taking out water to drink and of washing of hands and/or dishes. The ''tabò'' reflects an obsession with cleanliness, one which seems to have declined over time as the ''palayók'' and the ''tabò'' disappeared, or, in the case of the ''tabò'', was relegated to the toilet and limited to its present, less sanitary function.


Usage

The plastic tabo is kept mainly in the bathroom and is used as a water dipper for various functions. The emphasis is on properly utilizing the ''tabo'' or else a mess will be made in the toilet. Its primary purpose is to clean. It is used to clean the toilet floor, to get water to flush the toilet, and most importantly, to get water for personal cleanliness: for washing the anus after using the toilet, for washing hands, for shampooing, or for bathing the whole body. Filipinos use the ''tabo'' in addition to or instead of
toilet paper Toilet paper (sometimes called toilet/bath/bathroom tissue, or toilet roll) is a tissue paper product primarily used to clean the human anus, anus and surrounding region of Human feces, feces (after defecation), and to clean the external gen ...
to wash after using the bathroom. Not all toilets in the Philippines have an automatic flush, so instead, a ''timbâ'' (generally a plastic pail with a metal handle) and a ''tabò'' kept floating inside it is used. Upon entering the toilet, the pail should be checked if it has enough water. Filipinos thoroughly wash their hands after going to the toilet, using water and any available cleansing agent be it soap or a laundry detergent bar.


Culture


Language

Michael Tan mentioned that in the 17th century, the
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
Ignacio Alcina noticed how different words were used in the
Visayan languages The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog and the Bikol languages, all of which are part of the Central Philippine languages. Mo ...
to refer to washing the feet, the hands, and the genitalia. One of Tan's readers wrote to confirm this, giving the many verbs for different types of washing, many of which probably involved the ''tabò''.


Adaptation to the environment

The ''tabo'' is crafted out of two of the more ubiquitous items in the Philippine natural environment: coconut and bamboo. The use of the ''tabo'' is ecological in the way it recycles coconut shells. More importantly with regards to the toilet, it allows an economical use of water, often a scarce resource in many of the homes of Filipino families. For this purpose, the traditional tabo loses in terms of effectivity in saving water to the modern plastic version. The traditional ''tabo'' was developed in a pre-toilet era. It takes less water than the plastic one, not enough for flushing the toilet. The plastic ''tabo'' takes just about the right amount of water, which can have enough force for flushing, but that also requires some degree of artistry in the way one douses the water.


Cultural issues

Non-Filipinos (apart from non-Filipino Muslims who use similar hygiene practices, or others from places in Asia and Africa where the use of water is normal) may find the practice strange. A controversy sparked in January 2009 when a Filipino machine operator was reportedly sacked by an engineering firm in Australia allegedly for his toilet habits. A Townsville Bulletin report posted on news.com.au said that Amador Bernabe, 43 years old, who is a Filipino machine operator, was kicked out of his job by the Townsville Engineering Industries (TEI) for using water, instead of toilet paper, to clean himself during toilet visits. After an investigation was conducted, Bernabe got his job back in the firm.


See also

* Istinja – a similar Muslim practice for hygiene * Lota (vessel) – an equivalent vessel used in the Indian subcontinent and Africa *
Ladle (spoon) A ladle is a large, deep spoon, often used in the preparation and serving of soup, stew, or other foods. Although designs vary, a typical ladle has a long handle terminating in a deep bowl, frequently with the bowl oriented at an angle to the ha ...


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * * * * {{Toilets Bathrooms Culture of the Philippines Spoons