Philippine Society and Culture

 Another traditional courtship custom that used to be popular among Filipino men for its unique, marriage-like setup is ‘ Paninilbihan’ or servitude in the English language. Paninilbihan is just one of the many traditional Filipino courtship customs which used to be observed and practiced by Filipino suitors to help them win Filipina women’s hearts and at the same time to prove their sincerity and patience to the women they are trying to woo.  In this particular courtship tradition, the suitor stays in the house of a woman he is courting for a particular period of time. Throughout the Paninilbihan period, the man would do various farm and household chores while being observed by both the woman he is courting and her parents. The duration of Paninilbihan (Servitude) may vary depending on the suitor and the parents of the woman. The Paninilbihan is a perfect opportunity for both the woman’s family and her suitor if they could get along with one another based on the relationship ...

                                                         Scouse Smurf/Flickr In its simplest term, courtship is defined as a romantic relationship between two people. A courtship comes in many forms depending on a person’s established courtship customs. Traditionally, it would be men who would initiate and pursue courtship with women. There's no standard way or method of courting a woman but only established informal traditional courtship customs.  Despite the modernity of life brought about by digital technology, courtship has not lost its appeal among the younger generation. It is still observed and practiced regardless of culture, socioeconomic, and nationality. Though courtship customs differ from country to country. Men of different cultures have different ways of courting a woman.  Filipinos have their own indirect, romantic way...

Not too many people know that the Philippines are abundant not only with tasty, tropical fruit trees but also with wild fruit trees.  Ironically, most of these wild fruits are not found in the wild but are found and grown in densely populated residential areas such as in the backyard and even along the roads. And contrary to the popular belief, most of these fruits can be eaten without having to worry about fruit poisoning.  These wild fruits are favorite among Filipino children because aside from the excitement of racing to get these fruits, they are also good to satisfy a hungry stomach.  Below are just some of the wild fruits found in the Philippines:  Aratiles/cherry trees Aratiles are fruit-bearing wild trees found mostly in residential areas. Its fruits are favorite for birds and children alike. Its fruits’ color differs depending on the ripeness of the fruits.  Aratiles fruits are very small, soft, and sweet. Ripe fruits are colored pink and turn re...

The Holy Week is one of the solemn, sacred times for Filipino Catholics. This week-long religious activity a demonstration of the Filipinos' religiosity. The Philippines, whose population is predominantly Catholics give importance to the observance of the Holy Week through religious activities and practices which begin from Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday, Christ’s resurrection , and the meeting of His mother, the Virgin Mary. During the Holy Week, Filipinos show their penitence in different ways like fasting and abstinence, physical harm or self-flagellate, and prayer.  Below are just some of the Holy Week activities practice and embrace by the Filipinos for centuries: 1. Palm Sunday Storm Crypt/Flickr Palm Sunday is the start of the Holy Week. The Catholic faithful will bring palm fronds to the church and have them blessed by a priest. Once blessed, the palm fronds (palapas) are placed usually at the doors ...

Everyone loves to eat food. But what if you were served foods that are considered exotic, would you dare eat them? Could your appetite able to resist the smell, ugly looks, and taste of such exotic foods? In most Southeast Asian countries, particularly in the Philippines, many people would love to eat exotic food and one might be amazed how these people are able to swallow these kind of food. To many people, just by the mere sight of these foods would cause them to vomit, but to some, exotic foods are just ordinary food or even tastier. Listed below are the nine (9) exotic Filipino foods : 1. Edible Frogs Ruocaled/flickr Rice field frogs (Fejervarya limnocharis). These frogs species are edible and these frog are believed to have originated from China, thus it is called Chinese edible frog. Compared to other species, this one has a shiny body and has longer, bigger forelimbs and hindlimbs. Where can we find this species of frog? These fro...