Culture of the Philippines

The culture of the Philippines has been greatly influenced by the migrants that have come to this island nation throughout time. Most of the people that call themselves Filipinos actually descend from Austonesian tribes that most likely migrated from Taiwan to the Philippines thousands of years ago. It is suspected that the first Filipinos were related to the Ami Tribe.

There are at least fifteen ethnic groups that currently call the Philippines home. These groups include: the Tagalogs, the Moro, the Bicolanos, the Igorot, the Mangyan, the Chabacano, the Ivantan, the Visayan, the Ilocanos, the Kapampangans, the Pangasinese, the Lumad, the Ibanag, the Badjao and the Palawan tribes. Each of these tribes has a unique set of traditions, beliefs and languages. However, while languages vary from tribe to tribe the official languages of the Philippines are English and Filipino. These languages are used for trade and business, and tribal languages are used for private communications between tribe members, religious ceremonies and leisure communications.

The culture of the Philippines is made up of several religions. However, the majority of this nation is Roman Catholic. If fact Catholics make up 81 percent of the Filipino population. Other religions practiced in the Philippines include Protestantism, Islam and local tribal religions.

The culture of the Philippines has been influenced by a number of outside cultures. One of the most influential cultures on the Filipinos was the Hispanic culture. Hispanics introduced Roman Catholicism to this country. They also influenced the development of Filipino music, folk art, dance and food. The Chinese also influenced the culture of the Philippines. However, their influence was mostly on Filipino cuisine. Their influence can be seen in the used of noodles in Filipino dishes.