Traditions Of Filipinos

1. Simbang Gabi. Nine dawn masses during the Christmas season. Attended by the religious,
the people with panata, the uzis, and the girl and boy watchers. Of course, Simbang Gabi is
not complete without the mouth-watering bibingka and puto bumbong sold outside the
church.
2. Po at opo. Shows the importance and respect accorded to the elderly and the authority.
Children in the Tagalog areas are taught (trained?) to say po and opo before and after
every sentence.
3. Parol. The Pinoy symbol of the Star of Bethlehem. Bright and colorful, the parol adorns
every household during the Christmas season.
4. Dirty Ice Cream. Well-loved by Filipino children, the dirty ice cream is pedalled from one
household to another. This ice cream comes in the usual cones and sometimes, on bread
bunwiches. It costs cheap and has a variety of flavors
- cheese, mango, avocado, chocolate. Name it and the Mamang Sorbetero has it!
5. Balut, penoy. Balut is the luscious embryo of ducks. Penoy, on the other hand, is also duck
egg but without the baby duck. Both are Pinoy delicacies and both are very nutritious. As
they say, "Ang balut at penoy ay pampalakas ng tuhod".
6. Sabong. The Filipino term for cock derby, sabong is a favorite Pinoy past time, especially
in the rural communities. It has its own mechanics and rules which make the game more
exciting.
7. Gayuma, agimat, anting-anting. Filipinos just love stories about the supernatural. So is it
any surprise that many believe in agimats, anting-antings, and gayumas?
8. Festivals. The fun-loving nature of the Pinoys is manifested in the different festivals for
which they spend much time, effort, and money celebrating.
9. Panliligaw. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, and live happily ever after, right? …Not quite!
In panliligaw, it's boy meets girl, he serenades her, brings her flowers, chocolates, and the
like, serves her family, confesses his love for her… What happens next is up to her.
10. Paglalamay. Filipinos pay their last respects to the deceased as they spend sleepless nights
praying for and watchng over him/her.
11. Fiestas. Fiestas are celebrated in respect for the town's patron saint, usually thanking the
saint for a prosperous harvest. Everyone is welcome in every house and there's no limit to
what you can eat.
12. Streetfoods. Fishball, isaw, kikiam, banana Q, maruya, turon, adidas, bituka, dugo, laman-
loob. These are the foods that can be seen along the streets. Tasty and delicious, these are
truly Pinoy.
13. Pagmamano. Respect for the elders can be shown in various ways. Pagmamano is THE
Filipino way.
14. Bahay-Kubo. The traditional humble homes of Filipinos in the provinces. This structure,
which is made from materials like pawid, kugon, and nipa, manifests the ingenuity and
resourcefulness of Filipinos.
15. Terno, baro't saya, Barong Tagalog. One of the unique and best ways of representing the
Pinoys abroad.
16. Hilod. Long before loofah invaded the Filipinos bathrooms, hilod was the available
"scouring pad" of our bodies. It just proves that we Filipinos value personal hygiene.
17. Damayan. Admittedly, the Filipinos has a very low voting rate. Some say the Pinoys are
apathetic about the state of the country. But come earthquakes, typhoons,
volcanoeruptions, and you will see Pinoys helping their kababayans.
18. Kalesa - If we had kalesas (hansoms) instead of cars, we’d get less accidents and air pollution
but more horse poop on the streets.
19. Tago-tago, dakop-dakop, bato lata, takyan… most kids nowadays just play on their tablets that’s
why they’re sickly. But wait, you can download apps in your tablet and phone to play some
Filipino traditional games! Now your fingers can gain muscles!
20. Circumcision… by “pukpok”Here are the steps: You lie down. Chew some guava leaves. Then
the circumciser places the knife on the foreskin then BANG, strikes it with a wood or stone.
Then the guava leaves you just chewed will be applied to your birdie-birdie to make it heal
faster.
21. Chopping wood for cooking LPG is cheap but chopped wood is cheaper and some people don’t
have gas stoves. Anyway, the government now discourages chopping wood as a “panggatong”
since our tree population is dwindling.
22. Harana - Who’s got time to learn to play the guitar? A simple text saying “I love you” would
suffice nowadays. Seriously, I’m not joking, my neighbor got pregnant early because of that.
23. Bayanihan -Have you ever experienced the bayanihan in our country?  It is the spirit of
communal unity or effort to achieve a particular objective. A famous example of this is the
neighbors carrying a hut or house to a new location. People nowadays use it to describe an
outpouring of community spirit-as people give their all to the common good, without expecting
recognition or personal gain.
24. Superstition-In the Philippines, superstitious beliefs have grown throughout the country. These
beliefs have come from the different sayings and beliefs of our ancestors that aim to prevent
danger from happening or to make a person refrain from doing something in particular.These
beliefs are part of our culture, for one derives their beliefs from the influences of what their
customs, traditions and culture have dictated to explain certain phenomena or to scare people.
Some are practiced primarily because Filipinos believe that there is nothing to lose if they will
comply with these beliefs.
25. Cuisine - The Philippines is considered the melting pot of Asia. The rich medley of Chinese,
Malay, Spanish, Mexican, American, and Indian cooking are noticed in Philippine cuisine. 
Eating out is one of the favorite Filipino pasttimes. A typical Pinoy diet consists at most of six
meals a day; breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks, dinner, and again a midnight snack before going to
sleep. Rice is a staple in the Filipino diet, and is usually eaten together with other dishes.
Filipinos regularly use spoons together with forks and knives. Some also eat with their hands,
especially in informal settings, and when eating seafood.
26. In the country, marriage is a sacred union of man and women after a period of courtship and
engagement. It is a sacrament between two people who love each others. For many Filipinos, the
eternal quality of dedication to God pervades a truly sacred marriage. A sacred marriage is a
covenant between two who love each other in God and with God, whose joining becomes an
expression of the desire of each to love and serve God together.
27. Death in the Philippines is one of the most important occasions in family life. For many
Filipinos, a death of relatives is an opportunity to strengthen ties in the Family. To pay respect
and honor the relationship to the deceased, long lost relatives, friends, and even relatives
working abroad are reunited.
28. Filipinos highly value the presence of family more than anything. Adult children living with
their parents are another Filipino traditional that make them exceptional. Unlike in the United
States where children leave the home after finishing high school or college, many Filipinos
continue living with parents until they get married.
29. In addition to the use of the fork and spoon, eating with your hands or kamayan is another
common Filipino tradition. For many Filipinos, kamayan gives full taste to the food instead of
using utensils. Gather a small portion of meat or fish and a bite-sized portion of rice on your
plate. Then use all your fingers to gather the food into a small mountain or mound. Pick up the
little mound and put it in your mouth using your thumb to gently push the food in.
30. Some Filipinos leave the Philippines to live and work abroad. A balikbayan box is a box of
items sent by the balikbayan to their family in the Philippines. The box can be sent or it can be
brought by the sender when they themselves return to the Philippines.