Distinctive characteristics, societal traditions, long practiced customs, and outward signs of how life is lived are strongly in evidence in the Philippines. In essence, Filipino society--both for those in the country or living elsewhere--revolves around the family as a basic foundation.
Most Filipinos would find the thought unconscionable of an elderly family member ever being left to live alone. For that reason, the market is very limited in the Philippines for retirement establishments or even for orphanages.
Many Filipinos continue to live near their family in adulthood, whether married and with children or not. Those who have moved away to other countries to seek employment make an effort to return home to visit however infrequently, and to regularly provide a source of support to their family from aboard.
Homogeneity of Population and Church Impact
The Philippines is known for being relatively homogeneous despite the unique Filipino blend of Malay, Chinese, Spanish, and American influences. The overwhelming majority of the country belongs to the Roman Catholic Church with some variations on how they may practice their faith. Similarities are such that little basis exists for ethnic or racial divisions in most of the society, with the exceptions of the Muslim minority in the southern Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan provinces.
So dominant is the Catholic Church that then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared three days of national mourning in the Philippines following the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005.
The common religious tradition also is found in the practice of having a house blessing when someone moves into a new home, with a priest coming to say prayers and sprinkling holy water usually followed by a celebration with food. In addition, a rosary is often placed around the inside mirror or a statute of the Virgin Mary on the dashboard of jeepneys and in private vehicles. Jeepneys are the country’s most popular means of public transportation whose design evolved from World War II era U.S. Army jeeps with two rows of benches and the opening at the back for passengers with the outside of the vehicles decorated with vibrant colors and bright chrome hood ornaments.
Some in the Catholic Church feel challenged by the El Shaddai Christian evangelist movement in the Philippines. El Shaddai, a Hebrew term meaning God Almighty, while compared to fundamentalist Protestantism, is part of the Catholic charismatic renewal church and symbolizes a greater force that nourishes and blesses believers.
Christmas Observance in the Philippines
The extent and length of Christmas observances in the Philippines reflect the liturgical nature of how many Filipinos celebrate the season. December 16 marks the beginning of Simbang Gabi, a nine-day series of dawn masses that have become part of the Filipino culture in preparation for the coming of Christmas Day.
Families are awakened in the early morning hours by the sounds of church bells and roving bands of drummers and trumpeters urging them to church for the start of the mass. Small children and teenagers often carry hand-made cellophane lanterns shaped like stars then into the different parishes, a centuries-old Filipino tradition.
Christmas officially continues until the Feast of the Three Kings (Araw ng Tatlong Hari), also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, commemorated on the first Sunday of January. It is known as well as Pasko ng Matatanda (the Feast of the Elderly), a day that specially honors older family members. (The season can extend to the second Sunday of the month, known as the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus.)
The “Twelve Days of Christmas” referred to in the English Christmas carol of the same name are the days between Christmas and the arrival of the Three Kings. For centuries the belief was that the bearer of gifts for Filipino children was not Santa Claus but the Three Kings or Three Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem who were said to have visited Jesus after his birth. Some children would leave their brightly polished shoes and newly laundered socks on window sills to be filled with such gifts as candy or money. Sometimes they would also leave straw or dry grass in gratitude for the camels.
Some religious leaders in the Philippines have expressed recent dismay over Christmas becoming more of a shopping frenzy with images of Santa Claus on display more prominently around the nation than the traditional Christian symbol of the creche denoting the birth of Jesus.
Significance of Bayanihan for Filipinos
“Because Filipinos evolved through their creativity, spirituality and the exercise of personal relations, we will excel when we create, when we serve, when we entertain, when we pray and when we engage in bayanihan,” Jose Ma. Montelibano said in “That Christmas Spirit,” a column published in the December 17, 2010 Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Bayanihan is a very significant term at all times for people from the Philippines as it is the concept of association among those united in a community in an ongoing effort to help anyone in need and foster a shared sense of understanding and good will.
Non-Filipinos may be put off or troubled over certain questions or comments from some Filipinos about subjects related to income or why a married couple hasn’t had children yet. “Don’t be surprised if Filipinos whom you have just met start asking you personal questions, for example about your marital status, your children, and how much rent you pay,” Graham and Yvonne Colin-Jones wrote in their book Culture Smart! Philippines. “This is how they try to establish a rapport and build a relationship with you. They don’t intend to pry. If you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t need to be too specific with your answers.”
Aside from the symbols of Philippine culture, other common practices, features, and pursuits remain. As with many Asian countries, removal of shoes is a customary courtesy of respect when entering someone’s home.
Many people recognize the sight of nipa huts, also known as bahay kubo, as an indigenous house used in the Philippines, particularly in rural areas. This native home is constructed out of bamboo tied together, with a thatched roof using nipa/anahaw leaves.
In large numbers, Filipinos enjoy searching for seaweed at beaches or otherwise along the ocean, if not diving for it. Some people sell seaweed in plastic bags which can resemble green worms and comes in grape like bunches. For consumption as a kind of salad dish, it can be served chilled with sliced or diced tomatoes, with vinegar added to reduce the saltiness or with lemon or a squeeze of lime as well as with onions, garlic, and chili or cracked peppers.
Even in being a relatively homogeneous population, the people of the Philippines identify strongly with their own urban or rural regions in having a common set of values--with that also extending to Filipinos living in other countries--stressing the importance of family, social acceptance, a similar world view, the benefits of education, and a welcoming of visitors.
John Seidenberg - John Seidenberg has worked on newspapers, newsletters, radio news, and produced specialized news publications as well as freelance ...
