Olalala! Ang Bayan Kong Sinilangan

Pearl of the orient sea.

            The historical and romantic moniker for our country, the Philippines. The land of many historical heritages, a tropical paradise country, as described by many bloggers, a place where people are wearing endless smile, a country that makes me proud as a Filipino. Philippines is really worth dying for.

            Our culture is a thing that separates us from other nations. For our culture reflects our complex yet interesting history. From Melanesian, Austronesians, Malays, Chinese, Spanish, Americans and a lot more cultures around the world. Our culture is a mixture of different cultures. After our country has been colonized by Spain, they had influenced our religion. At first, our ancestors were adherents of a mixture of Shamanistic Animism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. But now, we are one of the two predominantly Roman-Catholic nations in Asia. Spaniards influenced us of being a Catholic and God-fearing person.

            Arts. Filipino arts cover many different forms of entertainment. The Philippine literature illustrates the history and legacy of our country. For most of the traditional literatures were written during the Spanish period. It is written in English, Tagalog or other native Philippine languages. I think Philippines is the only country with many dialects. Bisaya, Pampangeno, Ilokano and a lot more. Different dialects are used in our country but Filipino or Tagalog is our dominant language. Filipino painting, pottery has been our ancestor’s practice. Evidence is the Manuggul jar. Another is the tradition of the early Filipinos, the painting. This has been a part of our Filipino culture. Various designs are found in their bodies.

            Dance and Music. Filipinos are known of being a great performer. The early music of the Philippines features a mixture of Asian sounds but now modern Filipino music features several styles. Mostly Filipino rock, Filipino hiphop. We also have our traditional like the Filipino folk music. “Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mangaawit” known as OPM is the organization taking care and maintaining our own music. Our country is also known for its folk dances such as Carinosa, Tinikling, Singkil and a lot more. Our ethnic dances represent or showcase different stories in the Philippines. Each dance has its own symbolism that makes Philippine dances unique from others.

            Our cuisine is also one of our country’s trademarks. As many bloggers have said, Filipinos are the best cook or chefs in the world. We have our own delicacies, there’s the lechon, adobo, lumpia, pansit, paksiw, kilawen, kare-kare,  pinakbet, sisig, torta and a lot more. But who would have forget to try the street foods in the Philippines? Like fish ball, kikiam, isaw, dugo, laman, etc. Also, each province has it’s own specialty, an example is the durian from Davao, Bicol is known for its spicy foods and Baguio for its strawberries. One of the Filipinos’ trademarks is eating with bare hands. Because as they say, eating with bare hands make the dining lively.

           

There are many tourist destination in the Philippines. It is said to be a tropical country for it has many beaches such as Palawan, Boracay, Camsur and else more. We have the Banaue Rice Terraces, Chocolate Hills, Underground River, Mayon Volcano and a lot more. Our country is rich with many types of scenery that the tourist wants to explore.

            Of course, how can Philippines be without the Filipinos? Filipinos are said to be one of the happiest people in the world. For they are always wearing a big smile. They are very hospitable persons. The Filipino Character is actually a little bit of all the cultures put together. The bayanihan spirit of the Filipinos are said to be taken from the Malay people. The closeness of the family are also said to be from the Chinese. But the hospitality is what distinguishes them from others. Filipinos are emotional and passionate about life in a way that seems more Latin than Asian. Filipinos are the real pearl of the Philippines. For they are the one taking care of our many treasures and gems. Filipinos are the reason that makes our country different from other countries.

            Our country, Philippines is really the brightest pearl in the Asian seas. We, Filipinos should be proud of what our country is having. Because of all the praises for our country, we, Filipinos are the one being praised. This country is also worth dying for, and we should take care of our natural resources so that our future generations will be having a place where they could live life to the fullest.