Culture of the Philippines reflects the complexity of the history of the Philippines through the blending of cultures of diverse indigenous civilizations, and foreign influences.
Spanish colonization of the Philippines, governed from Spain, and Mexico, lasted for more than three centuries. There is a significant amount of Spanish-Mexican influence in Philippine custom, and tradition. Hispanic influences are visible in traditional Philippine folk music, folk dance, language, food, art, and religion.
Pre-Hispanic, and non-Christian Philippine culture are derived from the Indigenous tradition of the Austronesian primitive tribes called Malayo-Polynesian. The prehistoric Philippine Mythology, and Philippine indigenous culture has been influenced by the Malayo-Polynesian cultures of Oceania, accompanied by a mixture of Western-Christianity, Eastern-Islamic, Hinduism, and Buddhism tradition.
The Philippines were a territory of the United States from 1898 until 1946. American influences are evident in the use of the English language, and in contemporary pop culture, such as fast-food, music, film, and basketball.
Other Asian ethnic groups such as the Chinese, and Japanese have been settling in the Philippines since the colonial period, and their influence are evident in the popularity of gambling games such mahjong, jueteng, Filipino martial arts, and other Asian cuisine.
Muslim Filipinos living in the Philippines celebrate their own custom, and tradition. These groups follow a Philippine Islamic culture, and other Muslim recreation such as the Kali, Kulintang, and Gamelan, are used by Islamic groups in the southern islands of Mindanao, and Sulu archipelago.
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Way of life
About two-fifths of the Philippine population live in urban areas, while three-fifths of the people live in rural areas, although the proportion of people living in towns, and cities is steadily increasing. Most people live in urban areas, while farmers, and agriculturalists lived in rural towns, and villages. The majority of the people follow an old-age tradition in addition to the latest contemporary life styles, and fashion trends.
Religion in the Philippines
The Philippines is one of two predominantly Roman Catholic nation in Asia-Pacific, the other being East Timor. About 90% of the Philippine population are Christians. About 5% are Muslims, and about 5% practised other religions, and those with no religion.
Superstition
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, and the introduction of Roman Catholicism, and Western culture in the 1500s, the Indigenous Malayo-Polynesian tribes of the Philippine Islands were adherents of a mixture of Animism, Islam, Hinduism, and Vajrayana Buddhism.
Bathala was the supreme God of the Tagalog people, represented by the "Langit" (Sky), The Ninuno, or the ancient ancestors, were the people who taught believed in the supreme God. For the Bikolanos, the supreme God was "Gugurang". Other primitive gods, and goddesses include "Araw" (Sun), "Buwan" (Moon), "Tala" (Star), and Nature (such as trees, shrubs, mountains, or rocks).
Monsters, and spirits such as the "Aswang" (Vampire), the "Tikbalang" (Half Horse, and Human), the "Kapre" (Giant), the "Tiyanak" (Demon infant), the "Santelmo" (Fireball), "Duwende" (Dwarves, and Elves), the "Manananggal" (person with no lower half of their body), "Engkanto" (Spirits), "Diwata" (Fairies, and Nymphs), and Satanism are believed to exists in the Philippines.
Other paranormal beliefs such as "Voodoo" (Pangkukulam), "Witchcraft", "Usog" (Stranger), and "Lihi" (Food for the fairy) are also present. These beliefs have been practised to the present generation of Filipinos, which has led to some foreign scholars to incorrectly describe them as Pagan-Christians.
Voodoo, psychic surgery, and the rituals of medicine men and women are commonly practiced in most indigenous Filipino societies. These rituals are found mostly in rural areas throughout the islands. In Luzon, people who cast spells, and lay curses are called "Mangkukulam". People who curse their enemies by putting insects inside their bodies are called "Mambabarang". The healers of these curses are called "Albularyo".
Psychic surgeons are people who appear to remove tumors, and diseased tissue by sticking their hands into a patient's body, and extracting human flesh, and blood, but leaving the patient scar free. Some see this performance as a sleight of hand false interpretation. Believers accept it as true, and accept it as an alternative healing method, and a way to take advantage of the placebo effect.
Arts of the Philippines
Arts of the Philippines cover a variety of forms of entertainment. Folk art, Primitive art, and Islamic art consists of a classic, and modern feature that flourished as a result of European, Indigenous, and Islamic influence.
Literature
The literature of the Philippines illustrates the Prehistory, and European colonial legacy of the Philippines, written in both Indigenous, and Hispanic writing system. Most of the traditional literatures of the Philippines were written during the Mexican, and Spanish period. Philippine literature is written in Spanish, Filipino, English, and other native Philippine languages.
Performance art
Music
Early Spanish settlers, and Filipinos played a variety of musical instruments, including flutes, guitar, ukelele, violin, trumpets, and drums. They performed songs, and dance to celebrate festive occasions. By the 21st century, many of the folk songs, and dances have remained intact, and are presented by dance, and song groups throughout the Philippines. These groups are the Bayanihan, Filipinescas, Barangay-Barrio, and Hariraya groups, as well as the Karilagan Ensemble, and the groups associated with the guilds of Manila, and Fort Santiago theatres have been performed. Many Filipino musicians have risen prominence such as the composer, and conductor Antonio J. Molina, the composer Felipe P. de Leon, known for his nationalistic themes, and the opera singer Jovita Fuentes.
Modern day Philippine music features several styles. Most music genres are contemporary such as Filipino rock, Filipino hip hop, and other musical styles. Some are traditional such as Filipino folk music.
Dance
Philippine folk dances include the Cariñosa, and Tinikling. In the southern region of Mindanao, there is a dance called Singkil using long bamboo poles. However, it is primarily a dance which showcases Islamic culture. In this dance, there are bamboo poles arranged in a tic-tac-toe pattern in which the dancers exploit every position of these clashing poles.[1]
Visual art
Folk art
Filipinos began creating artistic paintings in the 17th century during the Spanish period, and have continued up to the present.[2] The earliest paintings of the Philippines were religious imagery from Biblical sources, as well as engravings, sculptures, and lithographs featuring Christian icons, and European nobility. Most of the paintings and sculptures between the 19th, and 20th century produced a mixture of religious, political, and landscape art works, with qualities of sweetness, dark, and light. Early modernist painters such as Damián Domingo was associated with religious, and secular paintings. The art of Juan Luna, and Felix Hidalgo showed a trend for political statement. Artist such as Fernando Amorsolo used post-modernism to produce paintings that illustrated Philippine culture, nature, and harmony. While other artist such as Fernando Zóbel used realities, and abstract on his work.
Primitive art
Pottery, weaving, and wood carving, are popular among Filipinos. Pottery was first made in the Philippines about 6000 B.C. The Manunggul jar is the most valued prehistoric artifact that has been discovered in Palawan Island. The jar features a carved scroll lines, painted with iron oxide, accompanied by a figure of a boat, a boatman, and passenger.
The sculptures of the Kankana-ey, and Ifugao tribes possess a unique sculptural tradition. The bulol tradition features a pair of figures carved in wood. The figures have a styled primitive features. They have religious significants, and are associated with the protection of rice harvests. The hagabi is perhaps the best example of a wood carving in the Philippines. It was carved by a large wooden bench with the sculpted pig-like heads at each end. The natives regard it as a sign of social status.
The Itnegs tribes are known for their intricate weaving production. The binakol is a blanket which features an optical illusion design. Weaving of the Ga'dang tribe usually has bright red tones. Their weaving is identified by beaded ornamentation. Other tribes such as the Ilongot made jewellery from pearl, red hornbill beak, plants, and metals.
The tribes of Mindanao such as the B'laan, Mandaya, Mansaka, and T'boli became skilled in art of dyeing abaca fibre. Abaca is a plant, and its leaf are used to make fibre known as Manila hemp. The fibre is dyed by a method of tie dyeing called ikat. Ikat textiles are woven into geometric patterns with human, animal, and plant pictorial themes.
Islamic art
Islamic art in the Philippines have two main artistic styles. One is a curved-line woodcarving, and metalworking called okir, similar to the Middle Eastern Islamic art. This style is associated with men. The other style is a geometric tapestries, and is associated with women. The Tausug, and Sama-Bajau exhibit their okir on elaborate markings with boat like imagery. The Marananaos make similar carvings on housing called torogan. Weapons made by Muslim Filipinos such as the kampilan are skillfully carved, with lines.
Cinema and television
The advent of the Cinema of the Philippines can be traced back to the early days of filmmaking in 1897, when a Spanish theater owner screened imported moving pictures.
The formative years of Philippine cinema, starting from the 1930s, were a time of discovering film as a new medium of expressing artworks. Scripts, and characterizations in films came from the popular theater shows, and Philippine literature.
In the 1940s, the Philippine cinema brought the consciousness of reality in its film industry. Nationalistic films became popular, and movie themes comprised primarily of war, and heroism had proven to be successful with Philipine audience.
The 1950s saw the first golden age of Philippine cinema,[3][4] with the emergence of more artistic, and mature films, and significant improvement in cinematic techniques among filmmakers. The studio system produced frenetic activity in the Philippine film industry as many films were made annually, and several local talents started to earn recognition abroad. Award winning filmakers, and actors were first instituted during this period. When the decade was drawing to a close, the studio system monopoly came under siege as a result of labor-management conflict, and by the 1960s, the artistry established in the previous years was in decline. This era can be characterized by rampant commercialism films.
The 1970s, and 1980s were considered as turbulent years for the Philippine film industry, bringing both positive, and negative changes. The films in this period now dealt with more serious topics following the Martial law era. In addition, action, western, drama, adult, and comedy films developed further introducing picture quality, sound, and writing script. The 1980s brought the arrival of alternative or independent cinema in the Philippines.
The 1990s saw the emerging popularity of drama, teen-oriented romantic comedy, adult, comedy, and action films.[4]
The Philippines, being one of Asia's earliest film industry producers, remains undisputed in terms of the highest level of theater admission in Asia. Over the years, however, the Philippine film industry has registered a steady decline in the movie viewership from 131 million in 1996 to 63 million in 2004.[5][6] From a high of 350 films a year in the 1950s, and 200 films a year during the 1980s, the Philippine film industry was down to making films in 2006 to 2007.[5][6] The 21st century saw the rebirth of independent filmmaking through the use of digital technology, and a number of films have once again earned nationwide recognition, and prestige.
Architecture
Pre-Hispanic architecture is characterized by its use of Indigenous wood materials. The Nipa hut (Bahay Kubo) is the mainstream form of housing. It is characterized by primitive materials such as bamboo, and coconut as the main sources of wood. Cogon grass, and Nipa palm leaves are used as roof thatching, although coconut fronds are also used. Most primitive homes are built on stilts due to frequent flooding during the rainy season. Regional variations include the use of thicker, and denser roof thatching in mountain areas, longer stilts on coastal areas especially if the structure is built outright on the water. The architecture of other Indigenous tribes in the Philippines is characterized by an angular wooden roofs, bamboo in place of leafy thatching, and ornate wooden carvings.
The Spaniards introduced stones as housing, and building materials. The introduction of Christianity brought European churches, and architecture which subsequently became the center of most towns, and cities. Spanish architecture are found in Intramuros, Vigan, and other parts of the Philippines. While, Islamic, and other Asian architecture are depicted on buildings such as mosque, and temples.
Contemporary architecture have Western style structures although pre-Hispanic housing is still largely common in rural areas. American style suburban gated communities are popular in the cities, including Manila, and the surrounding provinces.
Cuisine
Filipinos cook a variety of foods influenced by Spanish, and Asian cuisines.
A typical Philippine diet consists of at least three meals a day served with boiled or fried rice, corn, and other dishes. Filipinos regularly use spoons together with forks, and knives. Some, also eat with their hands, especially in informal settings, and when eating seafood. Rice, corn, and popular dishes such as adobo (a meat stew made from either pork or chicken), lumpia (meat or vegetable rolls), pancit (noodle dish), and lechón (roasted pig) are served on plates.
Other popular dishes include: afritada, asado, chorizo, empanadas, mani (roasted peanuts), paksiw (fish or pork, cooked in vinegar, and water with some spices like garlic and pepper), pan de sal (bread rolls), pescado (fried or grilled fish), Sisig and torta (omelette). Filipino cuisine includes kare-kare (ox-tail stew), kilawen, pinakbet (vegetable stew), pinapaitan, and sinigang (tamarind soup with a variety of pork, fish or prawns). Some delicacies eaten by the Filipino people but which may seem unappetizing to the Western palate include balut (boiled egg with a fertilized duckling inside), longanisa (sweet sausage), and dinuguan (soup made from animal blood).
Popular snacks, and desserts are chicharon (deep fried pork or chicken skin), halo-halo (crushed ice with condensed milk, flan, and sliced tropical fruits), puto (white rice cakes), bibingka (rice cake with butter or margarine, and salted eggs), ensaymada (sweet roll with grated cheese on top), polvoron (powder candy), and tsokolate (chocolate) are eaten outside the three main meals. Popular Philippine liqour includes the San Miguel Beer, Tanduay Rhum Masters, lambanog, and tuba.
Martial arts
Filipino martial arts is a term used to describe the numerous martial art forms that originated in the Philippines, similar to how Silat describes the martial arts practiced in Asia. Filipino martial arts include Panantukan (empty-handed techniques), Eskrima, Kali, Arnis de Máno (blade, and stick fighting), and Pananjakman (kicking).
Education in the Philippines
Education in the Philippines has similar features to that of the United States, and Europe.
Philippine students enter public school at about age four, starting from Nursery up to Kindergarten. At about seven years of age, students enter grade school (6 to 7 years). This is followed by High school (4 years). Students then enter for the College Entrance Examinations (CEE), after which they enter collegiate school (3 to 5 years). Other types of schools includes Private school, University-preparatory school, International school, Laboratory High School, and Science High School.
The school year in the Philippines starts in June, and ends in March, with a two-month summer break from April to May, two week of semestral break in October, Christmas, and New Year's holiday.
In 2005, the Philippines spent about US$138 per pupil compared to US$1,582 in Singapore, US$3,728 in Japan, and US$852 in Thailand.[7]
Sports in the Philippines
Sipa is the national sport in the Philippines. Other popular sports include basketball, boxing, football (soccer), billiards, chess, ten-pin bowling, volleyball, horse racing, and cockfighting. Dodge ball, and badminton are also popular for those who play sports.
Filipinos have gained international success in sports. These are boxing, football (soccer), billiards, ten-pin bowling, and chess. Popular sport stars include Manny Pacquiao, Flash Elorde, and Francisco Guilledo in boxing, Paulino Alcántara in football (soccer), Carlos Loyzaga, Robert Jaworski, and Ramon Fernandez in basketball, Efren Reyes, and Francisco Bustamante in billiards, Rafael Nepomuceno in ten-pin bowling, and Eugene Torre in chess.
The Palarong Pambansa, a national sports festival, has its origin in an annual sporting meet of public schools that started in 1948. Private schools, and Universities eventually joined the national event, which became known as the "Palarong Pambansa" in 1976. It serves as a national Olympic Games for students, competiting at school, and nationwide competitions.
The year 2002 event included football (soccer), golf, archery, badminton, baseball, chess, gymnastics, tennis, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, track and field, and volleyball.
Traditional Filipino games
Traditional Filipino games include yo-yo, piko, patintero, bahay kubo, pusoy, and sungka. Pusoy is a popular gambling game. Individuals play the game by trying to get rid of all the cards by choosing poker hands wisely.[8][9][8] Sungka is played on a board game using small sea shells in which players try to take all shells. The winner is determined by who has the most shells at the point when all small pits become empty.[10] Filipinos have created toys using insects such as tying a beetle to string, and sweeping it circular rotation to make an interesting sound. The "Salagubang gong" is a toy described by Charles Brtjes, an American entomologist, who traveled to Negros, and discovered a toy using beetles to create a periodic gong effect on a kerosene can as the beetle rotates above the contraption.[11]
Tribal groups
The Indigenous peoples of the Philippines consist of a large number of Malayo-Polynesian ethnic groups. They are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines, that settled in the islands thousands of years ago, and in the process have retained their Indigenous custom, and tradition.[12]
In 1990, more than 100 highland tribes constituted approximately 3% of the Philippine population. Over the centuries, the isolated highland tribes have retained their Indigenous culture. The folk art of these groups was, in a sense, the last remnant of an Indigenous tradition that flourished throughout the Philippines before the Islamic, and Spanish contact.
The highland tribes are a primitive ethnic group like other Filipinos, although they did not, as a group, have as much contact with the outside world. These tribes displayed a variety of native cultural expression, and artistic skills. They showed a high degree of creativity such as the production of bowls, baskets, clothing, weapons, and spoons. These tribes ranged from various groups of Igorot people, a group that includes the Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Isneg, Kalinga, and Kankana-ey, who built the Rice Terraces thousands of years ago. They have also covered a wide spectrum in terms of their integration, and acculturation with Christian Filipinos. Other Indigenous tribes include the Bukidnon, and Kalinga. These groups have remained isolated from Western, and Eastern influence.
Philippine diaspora
An Overseas Filipino is a person of Philippine origin, who lives outside of the Philippines. This term is applied to people of Filipino ancestry, who are citizens or residents of a different nation.
Often, these Filipinos are referred to as "Overseas Filipino Workers".
There are about 11 million overseas Filipinos living worldwide, equivalent to about 11% of the total population of the Philippines.[13]
Each year, thousands of Filipinos migrate to work abroad through overseas employment agencies, and other programs. Other individuals emigrate, and become permanent residents of other nations. Overseas Filipinos often work as doctors, nurses, accountants, IT professionals, engineers, architects,[14] entertainers, technicians, teachers, military servicemen, students, caregivers, domestic helpers, and household maids.
International employment includes an increasing number of skilled Filipino workers taking on unskilled work overseas, resulting in what has been referred to as brain drain, particularly in the health, and education department. Also, the employment can result in underemployment, for example, in cases where doctors undergo retraining to become nurses, and other employment programs.
Celebrations
Regular holiday
- January 1 - New Year’s Day
- March or April - Holy Week (Semana Santa)
- April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan (Bataan, and Corregidor Day)
- May 1 - Labor Day
- June 12 - Independence Day
- August - National Heroes Day
- November 30 - Bonifacio Day
- December 25 - Christmas Day
- December 30 - Rizal Day
Nationwide holiday
- August 21 - Ninoy Aquino Day
- November 1 to November 2 - Day of the Dead
- December 31 - New Year's Eve
Native holiday
- January 9 - The Black Nazarene procession in Quiapo, and Manila.
- Third Sunday of January - The Fiesta del Santo Niño de Cebu (Festival of the Child Jesus of Cebu), Sinulog in Cebu, Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan.
- Last Sunday of January - The Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo.
- March or April - Semana Santa (Holy Week).
- May - Flores de Mayo. A festival celebrated by farmers as they welcome the fertile season. Celebrations around towns showcase crops, food, and delicacies. One of the most celebrated festivity is the "Pahiyas", a colorful festival in Lucban, Quezon where houses are decorated mainly with dried rice papers in different shapes, and colors. Crops also accentuate these houses in artistic shapes, and styles.
- Third Saturday and Sunday of September - The Peñafrancia Festival in Naga City, Camarines Sur, Bicol Region. During the festivities, people attend church services, followed by parades on the streets, fireworks, and feasting. The Peñafrancia Festival is also celebrated by a fluvial procession in the Bicol River.
- October 31 to November 2 - "Araw ng mga Patay", "Día de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day). Also known as "Undas". During All Saints, and Souls Day, friends, and families visit the cemeteries, and pay homage to their dearly departed. The cemetery becomes a party atmosphere, rather than a solemn celebration.
- December 24 - Noche Buena (Christmas Eve).
- December 25 - Araw ng Pasko, Navidad (Christmas).
- January 1 - Bagong Taon, Año Nuevo (New Year).
Other cultural realm
Homosexuality
</ref> Homosexuality in the Philippines is widely accepted, and viewed as part of normal life, though it is viewed with some discrimination because of the nation's straight philosophy, and beliefs. However, due to the Philippines' strong Roman Catholic religion, gay marriage, and civil unions are prohibited. "Thoughts on the Bakla, the Filipino gays". http://laurganism.com/2005/09/22/bakla-the-filipino-gay/.
See also
References
- ^ "Hot Spots Filipino Cultural Dance - Singkil". http://www.sinfonia.or.jp/~infortec/hotspots/boracay/singkil.htm.
- ^ "Filipino Cultured: The Best of Filipino Art". http://filipinocultured.blogspot.com/2007/09/best-of-filipino-art-part-1.html.
- ^ Is the Curtain Finally Falling on the Philippine Kovie Industry?. Accessed January 25, 2009.
- ^ a b Aenet: Philippine Film History. Accessed January 22, 2009.
- ^ a b Cannes entry puts spotlight on Philippine indie films. Grafilo, John. Top News Light Reading. May 06, 2008.
- ^ a b A bleak storyline for the Filipino film industry. Conde, Carlos H. International Herald Tribune. February 11, 2007.
- ^ Saving Philippine education. Accessed Aug. 19, 2008.
- ^ a b "Big Two Poker (Pusoy Dos) Online Lessons". http://pokerlessons.net/pusoy-dos-big-two_lesson.php.
- ^ "The History of Chinese Poker". http://www.chinesepokerfaq.com/chinese-poker-history.htm.
- ^ "Mancala Games /Sungka". http://www.manqala.org/wiki/index.php/MancalaGames/Sungka.
- ^ Brtjes, Charles. "THE SALAGUBONG GONG, A FILIPINO INSECT TOY" (PDF). Harvard University. http://psyche2.entclub.org/articles/57/57-026.pdf.
- ^ National Commission of Indigenous People Accessed August 30, 2008.
- ^ Yvette Collymore (June 2003). "Rapid Population Growth, Crowded Cities Present Challenges in the Philippines". Population Reference Bureau. http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/RapidPopulationGrowthCrowdedCitiesPresentChallengesinthePhilippines.aspx. Retrieved on 2007-08-14. "An estimated 10 percent of the Philippine population, or nearly 8 million people, are overseas Filipino workers distributed in 182 countries, according to POPCOM. That is in addition to the estimated 3 million migrants who work illegally abroad"
- ^ "[Info-Bureau] FW: STATEMENT ON FILIPINO HOSTAGE". Philippine Women Centre of B.C — requoted by lists.ilps-news.com Mailing Lists. 19 July 2004. http://lists.ilps-news.com/pipermail/info-bureau/2004-July/000401.html. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
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