Importance of Preserving our Filipino Culture

Culture is the way of life for an entire society. It includes manners, dress, language,
religion, rituals, art, and institutions of a population that are passed from generation to
generation.

The Republic of the Philippines, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia, is a

culture in which the East meets the West. The Philippine culture composes a
combination of traditional Filipino and Spanish Catholic traditions, with influences from
America and other regions of Asia. The Filipinos hold a different Asian background with
an intense Western tradition. Filipino people manage to be remarkably hospitable,
especially to Western tourists. They are usually very warm and friendly people who
enjoy chatting with those around them. Family is the fundamental and most important
aspect of Filipino culture. Aside from being family-oriented, they are also religious and
appreciate art, fashion, music, and food. Filipinos love to have a good time; getting
together to sing, dance and eat.

Most of the population of the Philippines is Roman Catholic. Fiestas in honor of the
patron saint of a town are common. The annual calendar is filled with festivals, many of
which mix costumes and rituals from the nation’s pre-Christian history with the Catholic
beliefs and doctrine of the current day. In terms of language, Tagalog is their native
tongue and their national language. English is widely spoken; Spanish is much less so.
There are about 170 indigenous languages in total and hundreds more dialects.

Filipino culture is distinctive compared to other Asian countries, and beliefs apply in
the daily life of the Filipinos and show how prosperous and blessed the culture that they
have. One of the Filipino traditions is 'pagmamano', a way of giving and showing
respect to the elders. When young people greet or say farewell to the elders, they
normally do so by taking the right hand of the elder with their right hand and touching
the back of the elder's hand lightly on their forehead. From the moment they are born
into this world, they are already taught how to be obedient by using these simple
catchphrases: po and opo, words that end sentences when addressing elders. Having
close family relatives is also one of their unique attributes. The family takes care of and
value each other. It is one of the wonderful cultural values that Filipinos have.

Preserving Filipino culture means honoring ourselves for being a Filipino. We must
respect what our ancestors passed on us: the values and traditions. What is it about the
Philippines that makes it different from the rest of the world? It is all about our culture,
honor, and legacy.