The local culture that will touch everyone's heart (featuring @ellamaeamor as author)

Attention: This post has been written by @ellamaeamor

One-of-a-kind Philippine Feature 

Every place here on earth consists of people who share the same customs, traditions, language, philosophy or the culture as a whole. While they have been established in different respective areas from small communities, towns, cities, provinces up to the whole societies such as States for how many decades, they have also been fought for, defended, and died for by their supporters. These cultures may be derived from religions, nationalism, or from the invaders. But there is this small country named the Philippines that possesses such wonderful and admirable cultures, making it stand over other else in the world.

    

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No wonder why the Philippines is one of the top tourist spots all over the world. Visitors from around the world, mostly the Westerners who travel very far to east just to reach the country, always bring big smiles on their faces as they are on their way home. Aside from the beautiful places available for them to visit, one thing they can never forget while in the Philippines --the cultures.      

Filipinos' Hospitability 

One common visible attitude of the Filipinos regardless of their ethnic differences and embraced local cultures is their hospitability. Filipinos even treat a stranger good. Despite the calamities, financial crises, family conflicts, job loss, and any other problems the Filipinos usually encounter, they can still manage to entertain their neighbors, friends, and other acquaintances as if nothing bad has happened to them. There is no doubt about why the overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are in demand abroad because they can be good assets to the foreign businesses such as restaurants being waiters and waitresses, big companies being clerks, and they are even good as domestic helpers because of their unique comforting treatments towards their patients outside the country.     

High respect especially to elders 

The sayings 'po' and 'opo' when talking to different people especially to elders, whether Filipinos or non-Filipinos, are just ones of the manifestations that the Filipinos pay a high respect towards other people. This culture has been maintained by the native Filipinos and has successfully been transmitted to the young generation. With the help of the churches, this has been strengthened as a moral standard among the Filipinos. Failure to respect others is subject to certain punishment on the side of the mothers in the families with the purpose of educating the kids so that they will also pass it to the future generation. Bowing heads is also a way of respecting the elders.     

The Fiesta 

This term was originally Spanish in nature which means celebration or festival. This had been enculturated to the native Filipinos by the Spaniards during the Spanish colonization from the year 1565 to 1898 (333 years) and has continued to exist until today. This is a Catholic religious festival that gives tribute to Saints annually. This has been nationalized in the Philippines by the Spaniards during their era when they were still manipulating the Philippine government under the monarchial rule of the king in Spain. The Catholic religion was the official religion of the country that time under the ordinance of the king. Since then, the religious fiesta became an obligation for the Filipinos to be celebrated once a year. Presently, every barangay (small town), municipality, and city has its own fiesta differing in the day of celebration. In fact, it is one of the most joyful and awaited celebration as it only happens once a year.    

It is a food gathering and different fruit festival together with some street dancing representing the statues of the Saints which are being celebrated during the anniversary. For some Filipinos, it is also their family gathering as it is their tradition to come home together from their professions in the outside for at least the whole day. Filipino migrants usually leave their jobs for awhile just to attend to the fiesta in their hometowns. There are also circumstances that some neighborhood conflicts are resolved during the celebration because one feature also of the fiesta is avoiding troubles while being celebrated.   

What amazes also the foreigners during the fiesta is their friendly treatment to the strangers that they invite them to the dinner. The more people enjoying on the table full of food, the more merrier for them. They do not care of the expenses they spend for the annual holiday.      

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Filipinos' Optimism 

The Philippines has always been struck by typhoons that caused extreme flooding, earthquakes as it is in the pacific ring of fire, and threatened by terrorism. Poverty is also one of the country's social issues. Fortunately, the Filipino people have never lost hope for a good tomorrow. They can easily recover from tragedies. One can never compare a Filipino child who was once lost parents due to typhoon Sendong that hit Visayas and some part of Mindanao regions in the country in December, 2011 and yet stands to continue life once more and moves on from the past. This quality of theirs really inspires other nations mostly those who were also victims of the same catastrophes. Foreigners have always proudly brought this to their countries. Hopefulness is forever in one's heart of a Filipino wherever he/she goes.   

The Philippines should be a great source of inspiration, a model of good manners and right conduct and unity. Indeed, there are more impressive qualities of the Filipinos you can explore as you visit the country. As you try to visit the museums, you can see the historical background being portrayed in the form of any artistic creations, the essence of the patriotism through revolutions, and values contributed by the great fathers and the country's national heroes in the past to the current cultural system in the country. You cannot just imagine a Third World small country where temperature is very high can be greater than the other big States when it comes to values and richness in culture. Despite its economic inferiority over the others, it has stood firm to survive and produced good citizenry.   

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Attention: This post has been written by @ellamaeamor

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