How do Filipinos preserve their culture and traditions?
It is said that culture is the mirror of a country. Being able to know a country’s culture is also like knowing its people and their traits.
In a country, a culture, whether desirable or not, is preserved by its people not only because it is a good culture but because it has become part of their daily life and has been passed on from the old generation to the new generation.
In the Philippines, for instance, the Filipinos have been able to preserve most of their culture in different ways. Admittedly, there are a few Filipino cultures that are not worth preserving and should have not been passed on from the old generation to the new generation because of their perceived negative connotation to the Filipinos.
Some of the Philippine Cultures Still Practice Today
Bayanihan (community cooperation)
It refers to a collective community effort in helping one another particularly during and after a disaster.
It is during the times of hardships and suffering where the Bayanihan spirit among the Filipinos is best manifested like helping one another recover from emotional and psychological distress.
Another example of “Bayanihan” is when a wooden house is transferred from one place to another. It requires able-bodied men in the community to carry the house to its new location.
After the successful transfer, a celebration, to be hosted by the owner ñbe held. Foods (usually pancit and mongo) and drinks (coconut wine) are shared among the community.
Feast Celebrations
Feast celebrations are celebrated by the Filipinos all-year-round. Most of these celebrations are of Spanish origin meaning they have an element of religiosity.
Sinulog Festival, Traslacion (Black Nazarene), Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May), and Santacruzan are just some of the biggest religious-cultural festivals introduced by the Spaniards.
Different Dances
Aside from the festivals, the Spanish culture also plays a big part in shaping the Filipinos’ music and dances. The Spaniards brought with them cultural influence on the Filipinos in music and dances.
Fandango, Lanceros, Rigodon, Cariñosa, and Curacha are some of the popular Filipino dances with Spanish influence.
Kissing the hand and forehead of the elders
Kissing the hand and forehead of elders are the long-embraced cultures of the Filipinos. In the Philippines, Filipino children kiss the hand and forehead of the elders, parents, grandparents, or even elder siblings upon leaving or arriving.
Godchildren also kiss the hand or forehead of their godparents every time they meet each other.
Paninilbihan (servitude)
It is one of the long-established Filipino courtship customs practices by Filipino men. This particular custom requires men to help household chores to the woman he is courting.
The tasks can be as small as fetching some water from a nearby well, tending farm animals, chopping firewood, and other petty tasks.
Filipino suitors perform these tasks to gain approval or to show their sincerity to the woman he is wooing.
Unfortunately, this courtship is not as popular and appealing to the new generation of Filipino suitors.
Today, this courtship custom is seldom practice even in the Philippine countryside.
Harana (serenade)
Another courtship custom that has lost its popularity among the new generation of Filipino suitors is the Harana (serenade). In this traditional courtship custom, a Filipino suitor along with his friends serenades the woman he is courting in her house usually done in the evening.
Regardless of the suitor’s singing voice quality, the woman and her family entertain and give a warm welcome. After the “ harana,” the woman lets her suitor in but under the watchful eyes of her parents.
Sadly, this unique courtship custom can only be seen in Filipino romantic movies and television programs.
It has completely lost its appeal to the new generation of Filipinos whose primary means of courtship is through digital media.
Pamamanhikan (pre-wedding custom)
This is another courtship custom that is still popular and practice by the Filipinos. Pamamanhikan is a pre-wedding custom in which the man’s family visits the house of the woman.
Primarily, the purpose of the visit focuses on the wedding preparations and other details related to the planned wedding.
Usually, the man’s family brings foods and drinks to be shared with the woman’s family, relatives, and neighbors.
Ningas-Cogon
Among the Filipino values, this one is different and infamous. Admittedly, this particular value connotes negativity among Filipinos.
Like Cogon grass fire which shines brightly at the beginning but fizzles out after a few seconds.
Like in real life, some Filipinos are enthusiastic at the beginning of a particular endeavor, but later on, would lose interest in something and unable to finish the desired goal.
One-time millionnaire attitude
This is another Filipino trait that connotes negativity. Yes, this trait is practiced by some Filipinos every time they receive a certain amount of money particularly after winning a game.
It is also called the “ there’s no tomorrow” attitude because after all the money has been spent there would be no more left for tomorrow.
How to Preserve one’s Culture?
At to this question, there are several ways to preserve one’s cultures. In the Philippines, the Filipinos, have been able to preserve their cultures by means of:
● Practice and use it every day;
● Promote awareness through cultural shows;
● Integrate a particular culture in television programs or film showing; and
● Include the cultures in the school curriculum to ensure inculcation to the children.
Why is it important to preserve one’s culture?
Cultures represent the people in a country, thus, it is very important to protect and preserve one’s culture whether that culture is good or not. The Filipinos, for example, have been able to preserve most of their cultures through the ways mentioned above.
Sadly, some Filipino cultures are no longer practiced today by the new generation of Filipinos.
The modernity of life and the failure of the old generation to pass on the culture to the new generation of Filipinos have led to the death of some cultures.
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Preserving a particular culture is not about the culture itself, rather it is preserved because it has already been part of the lives of the people. Preservation of a particular culture lies in the government and its people.
Photo credit to Jonathan Vincent Tan/Flickr
