Friday, October 27, 2023

How do you describe the culture of the Philippines?

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I can best summarize it with the following quote:

“The Philippines is the Philippines. Southeast Asian but not too Indianized, a former Spanish colony but not too Hispanicized, centuries of Chinese influence but not part of the Sinosphere. The country was a sponge for these cultural influences but it retained its own Austronesian heritage.”

The main cultural element of the Philippines is Austronesian. Here are a couple of examples:

  • Austronesian languages that belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language group. This includes Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Maranao, Bikol, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, etc. Unlike most former Spanish colonies, the local languages thrive and are spoken by the vast majority of Filipinos. Malayo-Polynesian languages include languages of Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Timor-Leste, and Austronesian peoples of Vietnam.
How many Austronesian languages are there in the Philippines?
  • Outrigger boats, most common being the banca. Other varieties include the paraw, most commonly seen in the Visayas and the vinta, known for their colorful sails found in Mindanao.
  • Raised floor architecture. Traditional architecture dictates that homes are built on stilts. The bahay kubo and other forms of vernacular architecture follow this plan. From the traditional homes of the Ifugao to the sea-faring Sama Bajau people, this type of architecture is ubiquitous. It is even seen among royal houses such as the torogan of the Maranao.
  • Tattooing culture. While now mostly relegated to indigenous peoples such as the Kalinga, the practice was once widespread throughout the islands, with the Visayans known for their elaborate tattoos.
  • Animism. While most Filipinos are Catholic, with a large Muslim minority, animist beliefs still prevail in Filipino society. Respect for spirits out in nature is still widely practiced, as is the belief that specific spots like an ancient balete tree are believed to be homes of spirits. “Tabi-tabi po” is one such example of the respect Filipinos have for nature spirits. Indigenous peoples still build spirit houses for those nature spirits.
  • Gong ensembles are a unique Austronesian feature, common among Maritime Southeast Asia. Kulintang is one such example of a gong ensemble, found among the many ethnolinguistic peoples of Mindanao.
Can you give some examples of ancient Filipino culture that have survived until now?

The Philippines shares many aspects of its culture with the rest of Southeast Asia as well. Some of these include, but are not limited to:

  • Domestication of water buffalo. The carabao is so important in an agricultural society, it's considered the national animal. Like the Philippines, Vietnam considers the water buffalo to be its national animal. The water buffalo is also a huge part of Minangkabau identity in Indonesia.
  • Many forms of folk dance, include but are not limited to: bamboo stick dances, dancing with lanterns, fan dances, and long fingernail dances.
What are traditional dances in the Philippines that can also be found in other Southeast Asian countries?
  • Transparent and translucent traditional clothing reflects the tropical nature of the region, from the Barong Tagalog to the Kebaya of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
  • A rich textile heritage.
  • Respect for elders. The act of pagmamano, or “mano”, is a common gesture of respect for elders in nearby Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
  • Many ingredients used in Filipino cooking are also common in the rest of the region: coconut milk, rice, fish sauce, shrimp paste, pandan, native fruits, kangkong, lemongrass, soy sauce, etc.
Datu Ulap
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What are some cuisines and foods that are found in the Philippines but also exist in other nations in Southeast Asia?
The Philippines is known for its blending of East and West, but after looking at many of the dishes of the Philippines, you can see so many equivalents throughout Southeast Asia. Let’s start with a giant communal feast. The boodle fight. A way of eating involving banana leaves and an assortment of rice, fruits, lumpia, and other foods. Eating with hands is a must when partaking, as eating kamayan style is a traditional way to eat. There is a similar tradition in Indonesia as well. In Bali, there is megibung. The Sundanese have ngeliwet where food is spread out on banana leaves and is also eaten by hands. Megibung Ngeliwet Much like the rest of Southeast Asia, rice is a part of every meal! The Philippines has numerous rice based dishes, such as sinangag which is fried rice with garlic. Fried rice is referred to as nasi goreng (ꦤꦄꦱꦶ ꦒꦺꦴꦫꦼꦤꦒ) in Indonesia and Malaysia, khao pad goong (ข้าวผัดกุ้ง) in Thailand, (Cơm Chiên Trứng) in Vietnam, and htamin gyaw ( ထမင်း‌ကြော် ) in Myanmar. Sinangag (ᜐᜒᜈᜈ᜔ᜄᜄ᜔) Nasi Goreng (ꦤꦄꦱꦶ ꦒꦺꦴꦫꦼꦤꦒ) khao pad goong (ข้าวผัดกุ้ง) Cơm Chiên Trứng Htamin gyaw ( ထမင်း‌ကြော် ) Other rice based dishes that usually include meat can include the various Silog in the Philippines, Nasi Lemak in Malaysia, Nasi Kuning in Indonesia, Cơm tấm in Vietnam, Bai Sach Chruok (ប្ឰ ស​ក្ ឆ្រុឱក្) in Cambodia, and Ahan Kap Khao (ອາຫານກັບເຂົ້າ) in Laos. Silog (ᜐᜒᜎᜓᜄ᜔) Nasi Lemak Nasi Kuning Cơm tấm Bai Sach Chrouk (ប្ឰ ស​ក្ ឆ្រុឱក្) Ahan Kap Khao (ອາຫານກັບເຂົ້າ) Like the Philippines, noodles are present in cuisines of other Southeast Asian nations. Pancit refers to the various noodle based dishes of the Philippines, while mie/mee based dishes are present in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. Phở is the most popular noodle dish from Vietnam, while Pad Thai (ผัดไทย) is the most known noodle dish from Thailand. Khao soi noodles ( Thai: ข้าวซอย; Lao: ເຂົ້າຊອຍ; Burmese: အုန်းနို့ခေါက်ဆွဲ ) are popular in Northern Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. Nom banh chok (ន​ម្ ប​ន្ហ្ ឆ​ក្) is a well known Cambodian dish, while Foe (ເຝີ) is a Lao version of phở. Meeshay (မြီးရှေ) is a traditional noodle dish of Myanmar, but keep in mind these nations listed have many more different noodle based dishes than listed. Pancit (ᜉᜈ᜔ᜐᜒᜆ᜔) Mie Goreng Phở Pad Thai (ผัดไทย) Nom banh chok (ន​ម្ ប​ន្ហ្ ឆ​ក្) Meeshay (မြီးရှေ) Banana leaf is a popular wrapping in the Philippines, and is seen in puso from Cebu, patupat in Ilocos, pastil in Mindanao, and suman. Ketupat is common in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Indonesia has a similar dish to pastil called lemper with rice that is wrapped with meat and fish. Bánh Lá refers to the variety of Vietnamese cakes that are wrapped in leafs. Katupa is the local name for local rice wrapped in banana leaves with coconut milk in Timor-Leste. Puso Pastil Lemper Ketupat (ꦏꦼꦠꦸꦥꦄꦠ) Bánh Lá Katupa Tapai, a way to prepare fermented glutinous rice is found around Southeast Asia. Galapong is an example of a slightly fermented rice cake in the Philippines, and brem refers to fermented cakes in Indonesia, other foods that use this fermentation is tapai ketan in Java island. Galapong Brem Tapai ketan Coconut milk is used in many dishes in the Philippines, and is also present in the cuisines of many Southeast Asian nations. Ginataang manok - Philippines Kalio Tempe - Indonesia Laksa - Malaysia and Singapore Thom kha (ต้มข่าไก่: ຕົ້ມຂ່າໄກ່) - Thailand and Laos Amok (អាម៉ុក) - Cambodia Ohn No Khao Swe (အုန်းနို့ခေါက်ဆွဲ) - Myanmar Whole roasted pig is known as lechon in the Philippines, and it also exists in variations of non-Islamic populations of Indonesia, with babi guling a Balinese roast pig meal. Lechon Babi guling Native fruits are present not just in the Philippines but in many other Southeast Asian nations. Mangoes, jackfruit, lychee, many types of bananas, durian, rambutan, breadfruit, and many citrus fruits are present in the cuisines of many ASEAN nations. Calamansi is a popular citrus fruit in the Philippines but also exists in Indonesia, and is even seen in some dishes like Kuah asam, where calamansi is used. Fruit salads like buko salad in the Philippines also exist as fruit rojak in Malaysia and Singapore. Buko salad Fruit Rojak Tamarind base soups such as sinigang in the Philippines have their equivalent in Indonesia and is known as sayur asem, a Sundanese dish, Canh chua in Vietnam, and Tom Yum ( ต้มยำ) in Central Thailand. Sinigang Sayur Asem Canh Chua Tom Yum Curry based dishes even exist in the Philippines, with kare-kare as the most known curry dish from the country. Curry dishes are very popular in neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. Kare-kare - Philippines Beef rendang - Indonesia Red Curry - Thailand Caril - Timor-Leste Satay is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Brunei, and a local version called satti exists in the southern Philippines. Madurese satay - Indonesia Thai Chicken Satay and Peanut Sauce Satti Fermented fish paste is a popular dipping condiment in the Philippines, as Bagoong is often eaten alongside chilis or mangoes. Similar fish pastes exist in Myanmar as ngapi (ငါးပိ), Padaek (ປາແດກ) in Laos, Petis ikan in Indonesia as a salty dark paste, and prahok in Cambodia, made of salted and fermented mud fish, and is eaten with rice. Bagoong Ngapi (ငါးပိ) Padaek (ປາແດກ) Petis Ikan Balut, a whole egg with a duck embryo, is a well known street food in the Philippines, and is known in Vietnam as trứng vịt lộn, and in Cambodia as pong tia koun (ព​ន្គ្ តិឣ កៅន្), where the egg is incubated for up to three weeks. Balut Trứng Vịt Lộn Pong Tia Koun (ព​ន្គ្ តិឣ កៅន្) Chinese influence is present in the cuisine of the Philippines, with examples such as lumpia, pancit, siopao, butsi, taho, and hopia. Lumpia goes by a similar name in Indonesia. Siopao has a version in Thailand called salapao. Butsi in the Philippines is called kuih bom in Malaysia, onde-onde in Indonesia, and Bánh cam in Vietnam. in Taho exists under various names such as Tauhue in Indonesia and Thailand, đậu hủ in Vietnam and Taufufah in Malaysia. Hopia, a flaky pastry, also exists in Indonesia as bakpia. Shaved ice desserts are very popular in Southeast Asia, with halo-halo as the most famous of these desserts from the Philippines. The Indonesian version is cendol, and the Malaysian and Singaporean version is Ais Kacang. Kang sai is the Thailand version, and Chè ba màu is the Vietnamese equivalent. Halo-halo Cendol Ais kacang Kang sai Chè ba màu Dessert soups in the Philippines include things like ginataang bilo-bilo which uses coconut milk, sago, glutinous rice and tapioca. Similar dishes exist as Kolak Pisang in Indonesia, Bubur cha cha in Malaysia, Chè trôi nước in Vietnam, and Bua Loy in Thailand. Ginataang bilo-bilo Kolak Pisang Bubur cha cha Chè trôi nước Bua Loy Rice cakes are a popular dessert in the Philippines, and they all fall under the umbrella term kakanin, including puto, biko, sapin-sapin, kutsinta, puto bumbong, suman, bibingka, and palitaw. In Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, rice cakes are known as kuih, and go under various names such as kuih lapis, kueh ape, kue bibingka, kue bika ambon, kueh dodol, kue putu, and kue satu. Fun fact, bibingka exists in Timor-Leste as well as in Indonesia and the Philippines. Kakanin Kuih Vietnam has a similar rice cake to puto called Bánh Bò Hấp. The many rice cakes of Vietnam fall under the name Bánh, and come under various forms such as Bánh bò, Bánh da lợn, Bánh đúc, and bánh chưng. Thailand even has sticky rice with mango, which looks similar to puto maya, and is called ketan mangga in Indonesia. Thailand even has its own varieties of rice cakes, normally referred to as khanom (ขนม) that describes the various Thai desserts. Sapin-sapin of the Philippines looks similar to Kueh Lapis of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Bánh da lợn of Vietnam, Khanom Chan (ขนมชั้น) of Thailand, and Num Chak Kachan (នុម្ ឆ​ក្ ក​ឆ​ន្) of Cambodia. Sapin-sapin Kueh lapis Bánh da lợn Khanom Chan (ขนมชั้น) Num Chak Kachan (នុម្ ឆ​ក្ ក​ឆ​ន្)

It is important to note that, the neighboring countries have experienced a lot more Indianization in the culture, while the Philippines has historically received more secondhand influence. Indianization was more prevalent in the pre-colonial era, particularly in places like Butuan, Cebu, Sulu, and Manila. Many visible aspects of this Indianization are mostly seen in the Bangsamoro region, where Islam is the largest religion.

Being a former Spanish colony, the Philippines retains plenty of Hispanic elements as well.

  • Catholicism is the largest religion in the country and is the most visible example of the legacy of the Spanish era with centuries-old churches, fiestas celebrating patron saints, and the celebration of Christmas and Semana Santa.
  • The consumption of foods such as pan de sal, leche flan, longannisa, mechado, and empanadas.
  • Spanish last names are the most common surnames in the country.
  • Rondalla musical ensemble uses many Western-style stringed lutes.

Its also important to note that like Indian influence, much of the Spanish influence was also secondhand influence, as the Philippines was ruled indirectly through Mexico for most of the colonial era. Many Hispanic elements of the Philippines came from contact with Mexico, which included Nahuatl influence as well.

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