Culture of the Philippines reflects the complexity of the history of the Philippines through the blending of several diverse indigenous cultures, and foreign cultures such as Chinese and Spanish.
Pre-Hispanic, and non-Christian Philippine cultures are derived from several indigenous traditions of the Austronesian primitive tribes called Malayo-Polynesian. The prehistoric Philippine Mythology and Philippine indigenous culture was later influenced by the Malayo-Polynesian cultures of Oceania, accompanied by a mixture of Western-Christianity, Eastern-Islamic, Hinduism and Buddhism tradition.
Spanish rule over of the Philippines lasted from 1565 to 1898. Most of that time the islands were governed from Mexico and later directly from Spain. As a result, there is a significant amount of Spanish and Mexican influence in Philippine customs and traditions. Hispanic influences are visible in traditional Philippine folk music and dance, language, and religion, though usually fully integrated with other influences. The most visible examples are the Spanish names of Filipinos- which were given through a tax law (see: Alphabetical Catalog of Surnames, the thousands of Spanish loanwords in native languages such as Tagalog and Cebuano and the majority Catholic religion.
Later, the Philippines was a territory of the United States from 1898 until 1946. American influences are evident in the use of the English language, and in contemporary pop culture, such as fast-food, music, film and basketball.
Other Asian ethnic groups such as the Chinese and Japanese have been settling in the Philippines since the colonial period and their influence is also present in the popularity of gambling games such mahjong, jueteng, Filipino martial arts and other Asian cuisine.
Muslim Filipinos living in the Philippines also celebrate their own customs and traditions. These groups follow a Philippine Islamic culture, and other Muslim recreation such as the Kali, Kulintang and Gamelan, are used by Islamic groups in the southern islands of Mindanao and Sulu archipelago.
Pre-Hispanic, and non-Christian Philippine cultures are derived from several indigenous traditions of the Austronesian primitive tribes called Malayo-Polynesian. The prehistoric Philippine Mythology and Philippine indigenous culture was later influenced by the Malayo-Polynesian cultures of Oceania, accompanied by a mixture of Western-Christianity, Eastern-Islamic, Hinduism and Buddhism tradition.
Spanish rule over of the Philippines lasted from 1565 to 1898. Most of that time the islands were governed from Mexico and later directly from Spain. As a result, there is a significant amount of Spanish and Mexican influence in Philippine customs and traditions. Hispanic influences are visible in traditional Philippine folk music and dance, language, and religion, though usually fully integrated with other influences. The most visible examples are the Spanish names of Filipinos- which were given through a tax law (see: Alphabetical Catalog of Surnames, the thousands of Spanish loanwords in native languages such as Tagalog and Cebuano and the majority Catholic religion.
Later, the Philippines was a territory of the United States from 1898 until 1946. American influences are evident in the use of the English language, and in contemporary pop culture, such as fast-food, music, film and basketball.
Other Asian ethnic groups such as the Chinese and Japanese have been settling in the Philippines since the colonial period and their influence is also present in the popularity of gambling games such mahjong, jueteng, Filipino martial arts and other Asian cuisine.
Muslim Filipinos living in the Philippines also celebrate their own customs and traditions. These groups follow a Philippine Islamic culture, and other Muslim recreation such as the Kali, Kulintang and Gamelan, are used by Islamic groups in the southern islands of Mindanao and Sulu archipelago.
