10 TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PHILIPPINES - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The Philippines is a country made up of an archipelago of 7,107 islands located in Southeast Asia. With a population of around 104.9 million (2017), this island country is rich in its own traditions and customs.

At least 90% of the population of the Philippine Islands is Christian and 10% is Muslim. Its official language is Filipino but there are also other dialects. Due to their Spanish and North American colonizing past, the Filipinos have customs and traditions that have been influenced by both countries.

English is taught in Philippine schools and is also widely used in businesses and public agencies, so that the population can communicate in this language, it is very common for them to use a combination of English and Filipino in their dialect.

Although its colonizers were Spanish, only a minority speak Spanish, even when it was the official language at the time.

The Filipinos declared their independence from Spain in 1898, after being colonized by the United States and later invaded by Japan. In 1946, after the Second World War, it finally achieved its independence.

Since its independence, the state has placed great emphasis on its national symbols to create a feeling of belonging. The doctor and writer José Rizal is the national hero of the Philippines, as he was one of the main precursors of its independence from Spain.

The Philippine eagle is also one of the most important symbols and is the second largest in the world.

The flag of the Philippines has two horizontal stripes of the same size. The top band is red and the bottom band is blue. On one of its edges it has a white triangle with a golden sun in the center and three stars in its corners.

The red stripe represents the blood and courage of those who fought for their independence, the blue stripe represents the unity of the nation and its ideals. The white triangle represents peace, the sun represents the awakening of a new stage that began with the independence of the Philippines and the three stars symbolize the three most important geographic areas: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Filipino traditions and customs are local in nature, enriched with influences from Spain, the United States, Malaysia, China, and Japan.

Curious traditions and customs of the Philippines

The Sinulog Festival

Like the movement of water, this festival is the most important and well-known in the Philippines, locals and visitors from all over the world gather in Cebu City to celebrate it.

It focuses on a dance with forward and backward movements to the rhythm of songs in the native language.

This dance-ritual is in honor of the baby Jesus and commemorates the acceptance of the Filipino people of Christianity. It is celebrated every year on the third Sunday of January.

The Panagbenga Festival

Also called the flower festival, it is celebrated every year in the Philippines in the month of February.

It lasts for the whole month and commemorates the tragic earthquake that took place in 1990, and the floristic beauty of the Baguio region, which is where it takes place.

The Arnis

It is a Filipino martial art, it is also called Kali, depending on the region.

It is directly influenced by Spanish fencing. They use 70 cm long staves and close combat techniques.

The Harana

It is tradition that when a man is courting a woman, he serenades him at the door of his house while everyone sleeps.

The man asks the woman to open the window to listen to the request.

Pamanhikan

In this Philippine tradition, when a couple gets engaged, the groom must go with his family to the house of the bride's family and ask for her hand in marriage.

They must bring food and wait for the blessing of the father of the bride.

The Hanging Coffins

The Igorot ethnic group places their dead in coffins and these hang them on the walls of the mountains.

They dress their dead in colorful clothes so that their relatives can recognize them in the other world.

Crucification Of Good Friday

On Good Friday each year dozens of people imitate the suffering of Christ on pilgrimage, crucifying himself and dragging heavy crosses.

The Sipa

This traditional sport in the Philippines resembles volleyball and soccer at the same time.

The use of both hands and feet is used. The ball should be kicked and not allowed to touch the ground. The ball is made of cane fibers.

The kundiman

It is a genre of traditional love songs from the Philippines.

They are written in the Tagalog dialect. The sounds are melancholic and at other times happy.

Old Makati's Dances of the Bows

This tradition has been celebrated every year in the town of Barangay since the 19th century.

In this ritual, the Virgin of the Roses is praised through dances practiced by nine young women in typical dresses.

References

1. Pedrasa, Ira (2003-02-09). "Panagbenga: Festival of Flowers and Schools of Thought". Bulatlat.com.
2. The Music and Theater of the Filipino People »by RC Banas, from El Filipino: Monthly Magazine Vol I No. 9 (1926)
3. Harana the Lost Ritual in Filipino Courtship Filipino Culture by The Pinoy Warrior
4. Borlongan, Josienita. Filipino Customs and Traditions: Courtship, Engagement, and Marriage, associatedcontent.com, October 03, 2007
5. Paano ba talaga Mang-harana? Filipino Culture by The Pinoy Warrior.