Yenilsse Munoz
3/7/2025
ENGL 210-02 D
Prof Brandom Borcoman
Philiphine’s Culture
Filipino culture is known for its hospitality, family values, and festive spirit, combining Eastern and Western influences. They also focus on maintaining social harmony and being accepted within a group. Based on the interview I had with my classmate who resides in the Filipino culture, I was able to learn more about what happens within their culture. According to the argument he told me, he defines his culture as kind, helpful, and grateful people since they value social harmony and maintain fluid relationships with other people. Furthermore, he describes Filipinos as “resilient people” because they are able to endure adversity and still smile in difficult times. He also mentions that Filipinos act together and help each other, even if they are not related by blood. I think these characteristics or qualities connect a lot with my culture since in my culture we are a group of people with a wide variety of characteristics, including kindness, hospitality, and a great connection with the people we meet.
Philippine culture encompasses a wide range of artistic endeavors including traditional weaving, woodcarving, pottery, folk dance, singing, drama, visual arts, literature, filmmaking, and even unique forms of architecture. Many of these art forms reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines in different regions. Philippine culture has a rich musical heritage, with traditional Philippine folk music, kundiman (a romantic genre), and harana (serenades) being very common in the culture. Furthermore, modern Philippine music takes its influence from other Asian cultures such as K-pop, and thus helps to further define the culture. The Philippines is rich in vibrant festival traditions, with celebrations like Sinulog, Ati-Atihan, and Panagbenga showcasing religious devotion, cultural heritage, and natural beauty through parades, dances, and art. Sinulog Festival (Cebu City) is celebrated every third Sunday of January, it honors the Santo Niño (Child Jesus) with a grand parade featuring colorful costumes and rhythmic dances like the Sinulog dance.
Fun times and family activities are a constant in this culture, Filipino families love to eat together, usually with a big feast like a salusalo (reunion). Family outings and karaoke nights are also very common, they also have their own set of holidays, just like my culture and one of them is Araw ng Kalayaan (Independence Day) on June 12, but most Filipinos are more enthusiastic about celebrating Christmas. Dominicans also are used to doing a lot of fun activities with their families and neighbors. Our favorite time and custom that we do to have fun is to turn on a speaker at full volume, either with our most famous music such as dembow, bachata or merengue and invite all our loved ones to sit together in the “colmadon” which is simply what we call a bodega here in NYC or if not we take a chair outside our house and we all sit down to drink beer, dance or share any story or anecdote that we remember about something or someone that has happened to them.
A ritual that is included in the Filipino culture is called Holy Week and I believe that this exists in other cultures as well, in fact in mine it does and this includes the Meeting of Christ and Mary. A specific event that could help define my culture in the same way is the carnival which is a popular celebration that takes place in all towns and cities of our Dominican Republic at the beginning of February until Independence Day, which is on February 27th. A custom the Dominicans usually do on these types of days is that during Holy Week, we eat beans with sweets as a celebration, and on Good Friday or Ash Wednesday we do not eat meat, nor do we speak very loudly. Also, All of us, like many other cultures, celebrate our parade here in New York City every year. Ours is celebrated on the second Sunday of August each year, and what’s really customary in ours is to have different types of groups marching, whether they be artistic groups, institutions, or schools dedicated to art and performance. We also bring our most popular artists, whether they be dembows, bachatas, or merengues, so that people are encouraged to sing and dance along with them. Also, many young people like to dress in the color of the flag or carry a large flag on their back to be more connected to the event, or rather to attract more attention when they are on the street on the way to the event so that people can go and enjoy that great festival just like them.
