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.

Barong Tagalog

A Barong Tagalog (or simply Barong) is an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines. It is very lightweight and worn untucked, similar to a coat. It is the common wedding and formal attire for Filipino men. The term "Barong Tagalog" literally means "Tagalog dress" (i.e., baro ng Tagalog or dress of the Tagalog) in the Tagalog language.

The barong was popularized as formal wear by Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay, who wore it to most official and personal affairs, including his inaugeration as president. The barong was officially made the national costume by a decree from President Ferdinand Marcos in 1975.

Barong Tagalog - Origin

This Filipino tradition dates back to the Spanish Colonial era. The most common theory about its origins is that the Spaniards made Filipinos wear barongs untucked to distinguish them from the ruling class. Also, barongs had to be made of thin fabric so that the Spaniards could assure that the wearer was not bearing a weapon under the garment.

However, this theory has been questioned by other scholars and historians. They note the absence of a citation to the specific law where the Spaniards supposedly prohibited the natives from tucking in their shirts. Secondly, they note that natives during the Spanish Era did wear their shirts tucked in at times. A common example cited in support of this argument is Jose Rizal and his contemporaries, who were photographed in Western clothing with their shirts tucked in. Thirdly, the Philippines has a tropical climate and it is common for shirts not to be tucked in because of the heat. Finally, the barong is thought to be an adaptation of a shirt that was worn during the Spanish era throughout the Spanish empire. Scholars who subscribe to the last theory note that the barong bears many similarities to the guayabera, a shirt popular in the Latin American communities.

Barong Tagalog - Type of Cloth used

Most barong are made of pina cloth (from pineapple) or jusi from abaca. Jusi is cheaper and much stronger than the pina one but the pina one is more delicate.

he term "Barong Tagalog" is used almost exclusively to refer to the formal version of the barong; however, less formal variations of this national costume also exist.

• Polo barong refers to a short-sleeved version of the barong, often made with linen, ramie or cotton. This is the least formal version of the barong, often used as office wear (akin to the suit and tie).

• "Gusot-Mayaman" ("gusot" means "wrinkled" and "mayaman" means "wealthy") and Linen barongs are barongs that are not constructed with pina, jusi, or similarly delicate fabrics are generally considered less formal than the barong Tagalog. Both "gusot-mayaman" and linen barongs are used for everyday office wear.

• Shirt-jack barong are cut in shirt-jack style usually in poly-cotton, linen-cotton and gusot-mayaman fabrics. Popularized by politicians and government officials and worn during campaigns or out-in-the-field assignments. This barong style gives the wearer a more casual look yet lends a more dressed-up appearance from the usual street worn casual wear.

Filipino Christmas star-shaped lantern

The appearance of bright, star-shaped lanterns along the roads in the Philippines signals the start of the Christmas Season in this country. Filipinos celebrate the Christmas Season probably way before people in other countries do. Usually, these star-shaped lanterns called “parol” will show up as early as September, along with the many other symbols of the Philippine holidays. For the Filipino, the presence of the syllable “ber” after the main numerical root word of a month (Septem-, for example) indicates the start of Christmas. Many Filipinos also humorously associate the syllable “ber” with “brrr,” the sound one makes when the cold month of December approaches. The “parol” is thus a symbol of anticipation, for indeed, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for Filipinos, as it may be for people in other countries.

Parols come in many different shapes and sizes, although, as earlier mentioned, the star-shaped pattern remains the most commonly used design. More recent designs include that of angels, christmas trees, happy faces, Santa Claus’ face, and even commercial products like Coke or beer cans. The basic concept is the same for these lanterns. There is a source of light, usually with blinkers, within a design wrought out of a casing made of bamboo sticks. The sides of the lantern are translucent, owing to the materials often used to make them, such as Japanese paper or colored plastic. Meticulously made lanterns employ layers of these materials, as well as a variety of stickers, creating illusions of depth and contrast even though there is only one source of light, which comes from within the lantern itself. Many lanterns even employ a moving mechanism, thereby exposing its many sides to observers passing by. Most Filipinos simply hang their parols on their doors and windows, keeping the streets of the Philippines aglow with colorful designs for over 3 months.

The contest parols used in yearly competitions at the Paskuhan Village in Pampanga, Philippines, are actually giant lanterns studded with bulbs all over. Each bulb is painstakingly arranged in such a way that its wire will touch a huge rotating wheel behind the lantern’s face only at a particular timing. The timing is dictated by the location of “catch wires” which connect with the individual bulbs’ wires to light them up in time with a musical piece, usually a popular dance tune. Because the lanterns are gigantic, they have to be mounted on huge trucks, with their “timing wheels” loaded on to the truck as well, along with the power source, usually arrays of batteries when outlets are not available. The lanterns are judged according to the synchronicity of their bulbs lighting with the music being played, as well as for the artistry that went into making them. The event is an annual crowd-drawer in the Philippines, and understandably costs millions to come up with.

The parol is a showcase of some of the Filipino’s distinctive qualities of ingenuity, hospitality and passion for hope and peace. Ingenuity, because the materials used for parol are varied. Some parols are made of indigenous materials such as bamboo, or a pliable wood called rattan. Sometimes, especially during hard-pressed occasions, parols are made from garbage materials like plastic containers and newspapers. Sometimes, small shells are used in intricate designs to build up whole parols up to 5 feet in diameter. The parol is a symbol for hospitality because the people who hang parols in their houses often intend to have visitors during the Christmas Season, whom they treat with much care and attention. Finally, the parol is a symbol of the Filipino’s longing for hope and peace, because the people who remember Christmas in any way such as decorating their houses also remember the meaning behind the commercial overtures and gift-giving so peculiar to this season.