Abstract
Filipinos are always beset with the question of identity and seeking definitive answers to this proved to be futile. The Filipino identity, which is indeed shaped by the nation’s historical experiences have shown a mixture of the indigenous and the foreign, resulting to a continuous evolution of diverse culture and the arts. Social Anthropologist Frank Lynch, SJ in his observation of Philippine cultural patterns wrote: “Today’s native is yesterday’s visitor.” A process of inculturation from the coming of Asiatic influences to the arrival of the Spanish became an inescapable process that gave birth to the unification of separate polities, indigenization of the foreign, and the so-called Filipino culture as we know it. The central Filipino concept of celebration seen in Religious Festivals with emphasis on rituals and culinary elements shall be dealt with in this study. It is a viable choice for Filipinos are known to be one of the ‘most Christian’ people in Asia, and known to attach celebrations to religion. The festival is indeed the best specimen to analyze indigenization, for Christian rituals passed on by Spain became undeniably Filipino in character easily and the banquets prepared in celebration of the sacred, was filled with food of foreign origins, infused with Filipino elements. This study, using the Filipino Festival, gives a picture of an identity and culture that continues to evolve by indigenizing whatever beneficial and complimenting foreign elements of the arts come in contact with its people.
Presenters
Tyrone NepomucenoFaculty Member and Community Development Coordinator, Senior High School, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Filipino Identity, Filipino Festivals, Religious Rituals, Culinary Arts, Indigenization
