Philippines: A Nation Beyond its Beautiful Islands

Because of the Philippines archipelago, it means that the Philippines are very diverse culturally. Another reason why they are so diverse is how far the spread vertically. From base to tip, they span almost two thousand kilometres. Here is a philippines essay - the overview outlining some basic aspects of Filipino life.

Religion

The main religion in the Philippines is Roman Catholic, making up 85%. In fact, The Philippines is the only predominantly Christian country in all of Asia. Other religons include Islam and other Christian faiths. Unlike some other South-East Asian countries, all religions are protected by the law. Even though most of the population are Christians, there is no national religion and no religious belief is given priority over the others.

Language

There are three main languages spoken in the Philippines, Tagalog, Filipino and English. Although, Filipino is the official national language, but there are more than 170 living languages.

The origins of the national language began in 1934 when the commonwealth government decided that there was a need for a national language, due to the many dialects spoken around the archipelago. Because Tagalong was the most common language spoken throughout Manila and nearby provinces, it was one of the leading candidates. However some people opposed to this option, as not everyone around the country spoke Tagalog. The Filipino government had arrived at the same conclusion as before, they needed a national language to bridge the gap. It wasn't until 1970, when President Ferdinand Marcos decided to focus on creating a “new society” in the Philippines. This provided an excuse for academics to continue developing the new language, called Pilipino at the time.

The academics worked on modifying, and adding to the Tagalong language so that it sounded more wholesome. They used a mix of English, Chinese, Malay and Spanish to achieve this effect. They also replaced strange sounding words, to make it more pleasing to hear. Finally four more letters were added to the Tagalog alphabet, J, F, C, X and Z. After years of hard work, a new language was born, Filipino.

Customs and Traditions

To write Philippines as a nation essay it's needed to mention traditions of the country. The Philippines is a country rich with customs and traditions, mostly because of the number of nations they have been influenced by. Sadly, modern times threaten to destroy many of these. Luckily Filipino’s are doing all they can to preserve this heritage.

Mano Po

Mano Po is one of the most traditional Filipino ways of showing respect to your elders. The young child asks for the hand of an elderly person. They then either hold it to their forehead or kiss it. In return the elder usually blesses the youngster. A young child showing Mano Po

Tinikling

One of the oldest Filipino folk dances, tinkling involves using two painted bamboo sticks. This is considered to be one of the oldest dances, and has spread everywhere around the globe.

This dance originated when farmers laid bamboo traps to protect their fields. However, tikling birds dodged their way through the traps, and the dance was born. Locals tried it imatiate the Tinikling in The Philippines birds, keeping in time to the beat, to avoid the bamboo poles.

Cockfighting

To westerners this sport might seem brutal and cruel, but it is a way of life for most Filipinos. Betting, cheering and alcohol are all things involved in a cock fight. There are cock fighting rinks all around the country, and thousands of birds are bread, specifically for that purpose. Usually the crowd is mostly men, as they cheer for each bird, and then eat the loser.

Food

Filipino food derives from many different cultures, and is designed to suit local people' taste. In the Philippines, no meal is complete without rice or a dipping sauce. Also, very few Filipino dishes do not have a meat of some sort, which is usually pork.

Conclusion

Philippines as a nation and as a culture are very diversitive. In this “describe philippines essay” we have reviewed their cultural traditions, food, language diversity and relogion as the main factor of each nation.