Traditional Filipino Values

Our culture is a big reflection of our great and complex history. It is

influenced by most of the people we have interacted with. A blend of the
Malayo-Polynesian and Hispanic culture with the influence from Chinese,
Indians Arabs, and other Asian cultures really contribute to the customs and
traditions of the Filipinos.
Filipino culture is unique compared to other Asian countries, and
beliefs apply every day in the life of the Filipinos and reveal how rich and
blessed the culture the people have.
Lets review some of the popular Filipino traditions and find the
similarities that bind Filipinos to each other.

Mano Po
First on the list is Mano Po. When children or young people greet or say
goodbye to their elders they typically do so by taking the right hand of the
elder with their right hand and touch the back the elder's hand lightly on
their forehead. It is a way of giving respect to the elders and I believe that is
also a way of receiving blessing to the elders.
Mano is a Spanish word for hand while Po is used in the end of the
sentence when addressing elders or superiors.

Next is that Filipinos are one of the most hospitable people you may find
anywhere. Foreign visitors in the country are treated with the utmost
respect. This trait is usually seen during fiestas and holidays where many
Filipinos are giving their best to entertain their visitors well.
It is amazing to see that even the simplest home along the road opens their
home to a stranger. For Filipinos, to be able to serve others gives them
honor of showing true friendship. Filipino Hospitality is a trait you can't take
away from them.
Having Close Family Ties is also one of their unique traits. It is one of the
outstanding cultural values that Filipinos have. The family takes care of each
other and are taught to be loyal to family and elders by simply obeying their
authorities. This is one of the unique characteristics of Filipinos. Having
fondness for family reunions during secular and religious holidays such as
Christmas, New Years eve, All Saints Day, Holy Week, Fiestas,
homecomings, birthdays, weddings, graduations, baptisms, funerals etc. is
evidence that Filipino people valued not only our cultural tradition but the
spirit of our family. As Filipinos, we are blessed to have been brought up with
strong
family
ties.
Bayanihan

Have you ever experienced the bayanihan in our country? It is the spirit of
communal unity or effort to achieve a particular objective. A famous
example of this is the neighbors carrying a hut or house to a new location.
People nowadays use it to describe an outpouring of community spirit-as
people give their all to the common good, without expecting recognition or

personal

gain.

Courtship
We Filipinos are very romantic when it comes to heart affairs. Serenading or
Harana in Tagalog is one of the most popular forms of courtship to show that
a man is very serious with his intentions to a woman. A serenade would
require the young man to sing a love song in front of the young lady's
house. Normally, he is accompanied by his male friends who act as back-up
singers. The man himself or his friend played the instrument, usually a
guitar, which provides the background music to his song.
They would have to wait until the young lady opened a window to listen. It
would be up to her if she wanted to invite them in for some refreshment and
to chat after the song. Even if they had been asked to come in, the suitor
would not expect that he could have the chance of a private moment with
his object of affection. It was highly likely that the parents would also be
there to entertain the man and his friends.
Religion
The
Philippines
is
one
of
two
predominantly Roman Catholic nations in
Asia-Pacific. Their habit of going to
church and often praying reflects that
Filipinos have a deep faith and belief
when it comes to religion. They are very
devoted to religions that sometimes
many take the risk of their lives just to
touch the Black Nazarine (in Quiapo
Manila). For many, it is just a choice
between their faith and fears.
Filipinos believe that having a strong
devotion may lead to a better life and their guidance to face everyday life.
Superstition
In the Philippines, superstitious beliefs have grown throughout the country.
These beliefs have come from the different sayings and beliefs of our
ancestors that aim to prevent danger from happening or to make a person
refrain from doing something in particular.

These beliefs are part of our culture, for one derives their beliefs from the
influences of what their customs, traditions and culture have dictated to
explain certain phenomena or to scare people. Some are practiced primarily
because Filipinos believe that there is nothing to lose if they will comply with
these beliefs.

Cuisine
The Philippines is considered the melting pot of Asia. The rich medley of
Chinese, Malay, Spanish, Mexican, American, and Indian cooking are noticed
in Philippine cuisine. Eating out is one of the favorite Filipino pastimes. A
typical Pinoy diet consists at most of six meals a day; breakfast, snacks,
lunch, snacks, dinner, and again a midnight snack before going to sleep.
Rice is a staple in the Filipino diet, and is usually eaten together with 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.
Other popular dishes brought from Spanish and Southeast Asian influences
include
afritada,
asado,
chorizo, empanadas, mani
(roasted peanuts), paksiw
(fishor pork, cooked in
vinegar and water with
some spices like garlic and
pepper), pan de sal (bread
rolls), pescado frito (fried or
grilled
fish),
sisig,
torta(omelette),
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 some Filipinos
may seem unappetizing to the Western palate include balut (boiled egg with
a fertilized duckling inside), longanisa (sweet sausage), and dinuguan (soup
made from pork blood).
Popular snacks and desserts such as chicharon (deep fried pork or chicken
skin), halo-halo (crushed ice with evaporated milk, flan, and sliced tropical
fruit),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 usually eaten
outside the three main meals. Popular
Philippine beverages include San
Miguel Beer, Tanduay Rhum,coconut
arrack, and tuba.
Every province has its own specialty
and tastes vary in each region. In Bicol,
for example, foods are generally spicier
than elsewhere in the Philippines. Patis, suka, toyo, bagoong, and banana
catsup are the most common condiments found in Filipino homes and
restaurants. Western fast food chains such as McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC,
and Pizza Hut are a common sight in the country.

A roasted pig known as the Lechn, is one of the Philippines most popular
dishes.
Marriage and Wedding Customs

A sacred marriage
In the country, marriage is a
sacred union of man and
women after a period of
courtship and engagement. It
is a sacrament between two
people who love each others.
For many Filipinos, the eternal
quality of dedication to God
pervades
a
truly
sacred
marriage.
A sacred marriage is a
covenant between two who love each other in God and with God, whose
joining becomes an expression of the desire of each to love and serve God
together.
Death
Death in the Philippines is one of the most important occasions in family life.
For many Filipinos, a death of relatives is an opportunity to strengthen ties
in the Family. To pay respect and honor the relationship to the deceased,
long lost relatives, friends, and even relatives working abroad are reunited.
The Philippines is the home of some unique death rituals that are partly
religious and mostly superstitious. The mourning and the weeping are still
present, but a happy and welcoming atmosphere would usually envelop the
place to help the deceased on his journey to the afterlife.
After the death of a person, a nine-day period of having a novena of prayers
and Masses offered up to the deceased is held, although the beginning of
the "Siyam na araw" varies, but usually ends the week after the death.
Another period follows after death, the 40-day mourning period. Family
members indicate their state of bereavement by wearing a small, black
rectangular plastic pin on their left breast or breast pocket area. A
ceremonial mass is held at the end of this 40-day period. Common belief
states that the soul goes to Heaven after these 40 days, following the belief
that Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven after the said period of days.
Society
The primary ancestors of Filipinos are Malays who came from the
southeastern Asian country which is now called Indonesia. The Philippines is
a combined society, both singular and plural in form. It is singular as one

nation, but plural in that it is fragmented geographically and culturally. The

nation is divided between Christians, Muslims, and other religious-ethnolinguistic groups; between urban and rural people; between upland and
lowland people; and between the rich and the poor. Although different in
numerous ways, the Filipinos are very hospitable and give appropriate
respect to everybody regardless of race, culture and belief.
Christmas in the Philippines
Christmas in the Philippines is considered as one of the biggest holidays in
the archipelago. We earned the distinction of celebrating the worlds longest
Christmas season with Christmas carols heard as early as September and
lasting until Epiphany, the feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9 or the
Feast of the Santo Nio de Ceb on the third Sunday of January.
In ones article, Archbishop Cruz told in his Christmas message that "the
essence of Christmas is God made flesh, God who has come among us" in
an act of love "that joins humankind to the Living God through our Lord
Jesus Christ".
For many Filipinos, the true essence of Christmas for is not gift giving but
sharing this special holy day with family.
Fiestas
Every town and city in the Philippines has a fiesta of its own; whatever time
of the year it is, there's sure to be a fiesta going on somewhere.
Fiestas in the Philippines are held to celebrate a patron saint. It is part and
parcel of Filipino culture through good times and bad times, it must go on.
The biggest and most elaborate
festival of all is Christmas, a
season celebrated with all the
pomp and pageantry where the
whole country breaks out in
celebrations that can begin long
before December.
For individual Filipinos, fiestas
can be a way of supplicating the
heavens or to make amends for
past wrongs. It is a way to
celebrate
their
blessings,
commemorate their past and observe solemn religious rituals. Celebrations

may take the form of music, dancing, feasting, beauty contests, balls,
processions, sports challenges or a host of other events.
Spanish influence is evident in the elaborate masks, makeup, headdresses
and costumes worn by the revelers; outfits
which often take months of preparation.
Living with Parents
Filipinos highly value the presence of family
more than anything. Adult children living
with their parents are another Filipino
traditional that make them exceptional.
Unlike in the United States where children
leave the home after finishing high school
or college, many Filipinos continue living
with parents until they get married.
Eating with a Fork and Spoon
One Filipinos identity is that they are eat using a fork and a spoon. The fork
is place in the left hand while the spoon is in the right hand. Fork is used to
place or push the food into the spoon which is held by the right hand.
Since rice is the main staple of the Filipinos at almost every meal, the fork
and spoon method is ideal. It is believe that the use of a spoon and a fork is
perfect for the way Southeast Asians prepare and cook their food. Unlike the
Americans who like their meats and other food items in big slabs and
humongous chunks, Southeast Asians generally prepare their dishes in bitesized pieces -- chopped, minced or ground -- thus leaving no real need for a
knife.
Eating with Hands (Kamayan)
In addition to the use of the fork and spoon, eating with your hands or
kamayan is another common Filipino tradition. For many Filipinos, kamayan
gives full taste to the food instead of using utensils. Gather a small portion
of meat or fish and a bite-sized portion of rice on your plate. Then use all
your fingers to gather the food into a small mountain or mound. Pick up the
little mound and put it in your mouth using your thumb to gently push the
food in.

Filipinos usually eat rice that

has a slightly sticky
consistency so making the
little mounds is easier than if
you were to use a jasmine or
basmati rice. Of course, this
method of eating doesn't work
with soup/stew or noodles and
other kinds of food but for
your basic plate of rice,
meat/fish and vegetables it works quite well! Next time you make dinner try
eating kamayan.
Balikbayan Boxes
Some Filipinos leave the Philippines to live and work abroad. A balikbayan
box is a box of items sent by the balikbayan to their family in the
Philippines. The box can be sent or it
can be brought by the sender when
they themselves return to the
Philippines. Balikbayan boxes come
in all different sizes and dimensions
from bulilit (small) to extra-large. It
can be filled with almost anything
but it is usually filled with items that
cannot be found in the Philippines or
items that may be too expensive for
the average person to buy in the
Philippines. Common items found in
balikbayan boxes include: clothes,
shoes, chocolate, nuts, vitamins,
basketballs,
coffee
and
tea,
magazines, shampoo/conditioner, soap, body lotion, etc.