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Philippine Culture
The culture of the Philippines reflects the complexity of the history of the Philippines through the blending of cultures of diverse indigenous civilizations with characteristics introduced via foreign influences.
The Philippines is a mixed society. The nation is divided between Christians, Muslims, and other religio-ethno-linguistic groups; between urban and rural people; between upland and lowland people; and between the rich and the poor. Although different in many ways, Filipinos in general are very hospitable and will give appropriate respect to anyone regardless of race, culture, or belief.
These traits are generally positive but these practices also have the tendency to be applied in the wrong context. Close familial ties can foster nepotism.
Pakikisama
Pakikisama is a non confrontational way of doing life, business, and interpersonal group relationships. In the Philippines Pakikisama is the ability of a person to get along with others to maintain good and harmonious relationships. It implies camaraderie and togetherness in a group and the cause of one’s being socially accepted. Pakikisama requires someone yielding to group opinion, pressuring him to do what he can for the advancement of his group, sacrificing individual welfare for the general welfare. Consensus takes precedent over individual needs or opinion.
Pakikisama has many manifestations in Philippine society, one of which is extending support or offering help to neighbors who are in need. This comes from the still relevant necessity to bind together to survive as a group. When food is scarce and rice is expensive, all eat, for the good of the group. Pakikisama reflects the bayanihan spirit, which involves cooperation among fellow men to come up with a certain idea or accomplish a certain task. While bayanihan refers to a community-support action, pakikisama has a more individualized sense.
Nonetheless, feuds, vendettas, and violence are not unknown in Philippine society.
Utang na loob
A debt of gratitude (utang na loob) is sometimes repaid by giving special favors to the other person regardless of the moral outcome.
Philippine personal alliance systems are anchored by kinship, beginning with the nuclear family. A Filipino's loyalty goes first to the immediate family and personal identity is deeply embedded in the matrix of kinship. It is normal that one owes support, loyalty, and trust to one's close kin and, because kinship is structured bilaterally among relatives, one's kin can include quite a large number of people. With respect to kin beyond this nuclear family, closeness in relationship depends very much on physical proximity.
Family
It should be emphasized that close familial ties are upheld to the highest extent. The primary social welfare system for the Filipino is the family. Many Filipinos live near their family for most of their lives, even as independent adults. A nuclear family is very common among Filipinos. Divorce does not exist in the Philippines. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has stated that divorce is "un-Filipino, immoral, unconstitutional and a danger to the Filipino family."[citation needed] Others point out that in the past ancestral tribes did practice divorce and that the "reign of the Pope via the Spanish crown" is the source of current law.[citation needed]
Courtship among the Filipino people is heavily influenced by Spanish and Roman Catholic traditions. Many parents disapprove of girls visiting boys' homes. Usually, the boy comes to the girl's house to formally introduce himself to her parents and family. The Filipino must win the Filipina's parents' approval. At home, painful corporal punishment is almost always practiced among the Filipino family as children are often hit as a form of discipline. Filipinos use their belts, hands and canes to hit their children.
Community
The creation of alliances with neighbors and a helping attitude whenever one is in dire need is what Filipinos call bayanihan. This bayanihan spirit can be seen in action when a bus gets a flat tire. Bystanding or surrounding Filipinos will assist the bus driver in whatever is needed to get the bus back on its way. This can be contrasted with the individualistic attitude more prevalent in some other societies.
Filipinos get around by riding in jeepneys, buses, and cars. In urban areas, there are trains such as the LRT and MRT as well as boats, taxis, and ferries. In rural areas carabaos are often used for transport.[4] Bus transportation is used to get from one major city to another. Taxis or tricycles are used to get from place to place within a city.[5] The driving style in the country follows that one honks the horn to warn of an oncoming vehicle.[6]
Religion and Superstition
Before the arrival of the Spaniards and the introduction of Roman Catholicism in the 1500's, the indigenous inhabitants of the Philippines were adherents of a mixture of animism, Hinduism, and Vajrayana Buddhism. Bathala was the supreme God of the Filipinos, represented by the langit, or sky, but not all Filipinos believed in it. The Ninuno, or the ancient ancestors, were the people who taught Filipinos/Tagalogs who will be in the future; they believed in the supreme God. For the Bikolanos, the supreme God was Gugurang. Other Filipino gods and goddesses include araw (sun), buwan (the moon), tala (the stars), and natural objects (such as trees, shrubs, mountains, or rocks). However, they were not the Western kinds of gods and goddesses; they were representations for some Filipinos/Tagalogs; or they were representations as gifts. As the Abrahamic religions began to sweep the islands, most Filipinos became Christians, consequently believing in only one God. Other Filipinos became Muslims, especially in the southern islands of the country such as Mindanao. Spirits such as the aswang (ghoul), the tikbalang (a creature with the head of a horse and the physique of a man), the kapre (a giant that is seen smoking tobacco), the tiyanak (monster-like, vampire-esque child), the santelmo (fireball), duwende (dwarves and elves), the manananggal (witches that can split their bodies at their torsos and feed on baby's blood), engkanto (minor spirits), and diwata (fairies/nymphs), are believed to pervade the Philippines. Aside from that, voodoo practices (such as pangkukulam) and witchcraft were practiced by pre-colonial inhabitants. Beliefs such as usog (a child greeted by a stranger will get sick) and lihi (unusual craving for something during pregnancy) are also present. These beliefs have been carried up to the present generation of Filipinos, which has led some foreign authors to (incorrectly) describe them as 'Pagano-Christians.'
Wealth and beauty
The belief that "white is beautiful" is held by many Filipino women, leading them to stay out of the sun to keep their skin from getting dark. Even at a young age, children are taught and practice this belief. Furthermore, many of these women use bleaching or whitening skin products to keep their skin white, and also use anti pimple or anti blackhead products. This bias towards favoring white skin came from the influential occupations of the Spanish and the Americans, and continues among many Filipinos to this day. Fatness may also be associated with wealth, while being too skinny may be seen as a sign of poverty.
In formal gatherings, men wear the Barong Tagalog, a translucent pearl white shirt, usually made of piña (pineapple) fibers or jusi [hoo-si] (banana) fibers. But in informal settings, such as at home or at picnics, Filipinos either go barefoot or wear slippers due to the humid tropical climate.
Communication
Some urban and rural Filipinos often call for attention by saying "hoy!" (meaning: Hey!, in the Tagalog language) or use a rising hiss like a snake by saying "psst."
To greet a friend, or express "what's up," one usually whips his head upward for acknowledgment.
The use of lips to point is widely practiced. Instead of using their pointer fingers, Filipinos may point with their lips extended out to indicate the position of an object.
Telecommunications and e-mail are popular as well as the usage of cell phones. Many Filipinos, even those who live in poverty, own mobile phones. Sending SMS messages is a common way of communication, as it is cheaper than making a call. The Philippines is considered to be the Txt capital of the world sending millions of SMS messages a day.
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