Culture of the Philippines
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The Customs and Traditions are strongly influenced by Spain, Mexico and the Roman Catholic religion. Each year, Filipinos from around the country hold major festivities known as Barrio Fiesta which commemorate the patron saints of the town, villages and regional districts. The festival season is celebrated with church ceremonies, street parades in honor of the patron saints, fireworks, beauty and dance contests for generations of old and new, and cockfighting tournaments.
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Celebrations
Major festivals
- The Black Nazareth procession in Quiapo and Manila.
- The Fiesta del Santo Niño de Cebu (Festival of the Child Jesús) and Sinulog in the Visayas and Mindanao region.
- The Ati-Atihan Carnival, also in Visayas region.
All are celebrated in the month of January. During the festivities people attend church service, followed by parade on the streets, fireworks, and feasting in honor of the Roman Catholic faith and native culture, and are attended by hundreds of thousands of Filipinos each year.
Other religious festivals
- Semana Santa Holy Week week before Easter.
- All Saints Day November 1.
- All Souls Day November 2.
- Noche Buena December 24.
- Christmas Day December 25.
- New Years Day January 1.
National Holidays
- E.D.S.A Revolution February 25
- Araw ng Kagitingan April 9
- Labour Day May 1
- Independence Day June 12
- National Heroes Day August 28
- Bonifacio Day November 30
- Rizal Day December 30
Arts
Main article: Arts of the Philippines
Cuisine
Filipinos cook a variety of national food influenced by both Castillian-Mexican and Asian cuisines such as:
- lechon (roast pig)
- lechon baka (roast beef)
- chorizo sausages
- asado
- menudo
- chicharon
- torta
- empanadas
- adobong baboy
- adobong manok
- tsokolate (chocolate)
- polvoron
- pan (bread)
- mani (peanut)
- afritada
- avocado
- ensaymada
- mais (corn)
- patatas {Potato)
- pescado (fried or grilled fish)
- balot ( boiled egg with unborn chick inside )
- rice
- pancit canton
- vegetables
Filipinos are fond of wine, as well as beers such as the local San Miguel.
- Main article: Filipino cuisine
Heritage
Several sites in the country have been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and these are:
- Baroque Churches of the Philippines
- Historic Towns of Vigan
- Intramuros
- Magellan's Cross
- Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
- Banaue Rice Terraces
- Tubbataha Reef Marine Park
- Mayon Volcano
- Taal Lake
- Chocolate Hills
- Boracay Island
- Hundred Islands National Park
- El Nido
- Maria Christina Falls
- Puerto Galera
Music
Main article: Music of the Philippines
Literature
Main article: Literature of the Philippines
Sports
The national sport in the Philippines is basketball. Basketball is very popular among Filipinos, with virtually every barangay in the country having at least one basketball court. The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), founded in 1975 is the most watched basketball league. Corporate-sponsored teams compete in three tournaments every year and many Filipino-Americans return to the country to become popular basketball heroes. Many Americans also join the league as a stepping stone to joining the American National Basketball Association (NBA).
Another popular league is the Philippine Basketball League, often joined by players who aim to get experience for eventual drafting into the PBA. The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) also has basketball as one of its sports. Basketball in the UAAP is arguably one of the most watched basketball tournaments in the country due to widespread support from students and alumni of the country's top universities that are members of the UAAP. A less-watched league is the Metropolitan Basketball Association, or the MBA. Unlike the PBA, whose teams are sponsored by major corporations, the MBA has teams from various cities around the Philippines, much like the NBA.
Among the other sports where the Filipinos have gained international recognition are billiards (notably nine ball), ten-pin bowling, boxing, and chess. Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante are among the top ten billiard players in the world. Rafael Nepomuceno has been a world champion in bowling, Eugene Torre is Asia's first chess grandmaster, and Mansueto Velasco and Manuel Pacquiao have become world champions in boxing.
The Palarong Pambansa, a national sports festival, has its roots 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 Olympics for students, with victors from competitions at the school, province, and regional level emerging to participate. A recent (2002) event included the following sports: archery, badminton, baseball, boxing, chess, gymnastics, tennis, soccer, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, track and field, and volleyball. It also included two lesser known sports:
- a Malaysian volleyball-like kicking sport called Sepak Takraw.
- Sipa, another kicking sport, which is related to Sepal Takraw. It is considered the national sport of the Philippines, and is played by two-to-four people passing a small rattan ball back-and-forth, somewhat similar to footbag.
There is a tradition of Filipino Martial Arts developed in response to Spanish limitations on the possession of weapons.
See also
External links
- GetRealPhilippines.com (http://www.getrealphilippines.com) - discusses issues about Filipino culture