Philippine

Traditions
and Practices
FILIPINO CULTURE, CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

The Filipino people is rich in customs and

traditions. Many of these
are in connection with their family
life such as WEDDING, CHILDBIRTH,
BURIAL, and many more........
• WEDDING
Filipinos still adhere to numerous widely-held folk beliefs.
Below are just a few that concerns weddings. Some are still
practiced to this day.
oBrides shouldn't try on her wedding dress before the wedding day or
the wedding will not push through.
oKnives and other sharp and pointed objects
are said to be a bad choice for wedding
gifts for this will lead to a broken marriage.
oGiving arinola (chamber pot) as wedding gift is believed to bring good
luck to newlyweds.
oAltar-bound couples are accident-prone and therefore must avoid long
drives or traveling before their wedding day for safety.
oThe groom who sits ahead of his bride during the wedding
ceremony will be a henpecked husband.
oIf it rains during the wedding, it means prosperity and happiness for the
newlyweds. 
o A flame extinguished on one of the wedding candles means the one on which
side has the unlit candle, will die ahead of the other.
o Throwing rice confetti at the newlyweds will bring them prosperity all their life
o The groom must arrive before the bride at the church to avoid bad luck.
o It is considered bad luck for two siblings to marry on the same year.
o Breaking something during the reception brings good luck to the newlyweds.
o The bride should step on the groom's foot while
walking towards the altar if she wants him
to agree to her every whim.
o An unmarried woman who follows the footsteps (literally) of the newlyweds will
marry soon.
o Dropping the wedding ring, the veil or the arras during the ceremony spells
unhappiness for the couple.
o In early Filipino custom, the groom-to-be threw his spear at the front steps of
his intended's home, a sign that she has been spoken for. These days, a ring
suffices as the symbol of engagement.
The Engagement
After the couple has decided to marry, the first order of business is
the pamanhikan, where the groom and his parents visit the bride's family to ask for
her hand in marriage. Wedding plans are often made at this time, including a
discussion of the budget and guest list. Don't be surprised if the groom-to-be is
expected to run some errands or help out around the bride's house. This tradition is
called paninilbihan, where the suitor renders service to his future wife's family to gain
their approval.

The Wedding Outfits

The white wedding dress has become popular in the last hundred years or so
with America's influence in the Philippines. Before that, brides wore their best dress,
in a festive color or even stylish black, to celebrate a wedding. Orange
blossombouquets and adornments were a must during the turn of the last century.
For men, the barong tagalog is the traditional Filipino formal wear. It is a cool, almost
transparent, embroidered shirt, made from silky piña or jusi, two native ecru fabrics. It
is worn untucked, over black pants, with a white t-shirt underneath. These days, a
Filipino groom might wear the conventional black tux, but Filipino male wedding
guests will usually show up in their finest barongs.
• The Ceremony

In pre-colonial days, a wedding ceremony lasted three days. On

the first day, the bride and groom were brought to the house of a
priest or babaylan, who joined their hands over a plate of raw rice
and blessed the couple. On the third day,
the priest pricked the chests of both bride and groom and drew a
little blood. Joining their hands, they declared their love for each
other three times. The priest then fed them cooked rice from the
same plate and gave them a drink of some of their blood mixed
with water. Binding their hands and necks with a cord, he
declared them married.
The majority of Filipino weddings are now Catholic
weddings, but some native traditions remain. Most have special "sponsors" who
act as witnesses to the marriage. The principal sponsors could be godparents,
counselors, a favorite uncle and aunt, even a parent. Secondary sponsors handle
special parts of the ceremony, such as the candle, cord and veil ceremonies.
Candle sponsors light two candles, which the bride and groom use to light a single
candle to symbolize the joining of the two families
and to invoke the light of Christ in their married
life. Veil sponsors place a white veil over the bride's head and the groom's
shoulders, a symbol of two people clothed as one. Cord sponsors drape the yugal
(a decorative silk cord) in a figure-eight shape--to symbolize everlasting fidelity--
over the shoulders of the bride and groom. The groom gives the bride 13 coins, or
arras, blessed by the priest, as a sign of his dedication to his wife's well-being and
the welfare of their future children.
• CHILDBIRTH
The content below is only the experience of the Filipino mothers that were
interviewed & may not apply to others from this culture.

PRENATAL
• Women went to see the Hilot (midwife) for prenatal care.
• Husbands are not involved in prenatal care; it is thought of as women's
responsibility.
• It is said that if a woman has a lot of blemishes/pimples on her face, the baby
will be a girl.
• If the mother glows and radiates beauty, the baby will be a boy.
• When holding a ring on a chain above the woman's stomach, if the ring swings
side-to-side baby will be a boy, if the ring swings in a circle, the baby will be a
girl.
• If a mother is craving sweets and other carbohydrates, the baby will be a girl.
• If a mother is craving oily or fried foods, the baby will be a boy.
• The mother cannot eat anything slimy or it may cause her to have a
miscarriage.
• The mother should eat fish (bangus) to make her child smart.
• The mother should not eat mango to avoid having a hairy baby.
• If the mother is angry with a certain person, the baby will look like that person.
• The mother wears a crucifix on her chest to protect her and the baby from evil
spirits.
• The mother cannot drive a car with a standard shift or it may cause
the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby's neck.
• A pregnant woman is considered to be a good
luck charm; take her with you to receive good luck!
• Women should wear long sleeves and long pants to help protect baby from the
cold.
• Women cannot attend a funeral because the spirit might possess the baby.
• Women should keep busy with house chores. A lazy mother will make a lazy
child.
LABOR  AND DELIVERY

•When delivery is near, boil a certain fruit seed. This act will help facilitate the
birthing process for the laboring woman.
•Pain medicine was not used in the past because it was thought to harm the baby.
Today, some women try to uphold this tradition for the same reason.
•Other therapeutic measures such as massages
were used to alleviate pain.
•The Hilot places the placenta into a ceramic pot and plants it into the ground, so
the baby will become brave.
•If a mother has a miscarriage, the fetus and placenta is planted in the ground, so
the baby's spirit is put to rest.
•If baby is delivered at home, the Hilot will be the one to cut the umbilical cord.
•The father of the baby is not present during delivery.
POST PARTUM

•To help close the uterus after vaginal birth, a warming ritual is performed.  A
warm object is placed under the sheets with the woman.  The woman is told to
stay in bed.  The linens act as insulators to maintain heat. 
•After the warming ritual, guava leaves are boiled in water.  This water is used to
cleanse the woman.
•With the exception of the guava bath, women
are not allowed to shower for 1 week after birth.
•Mothers should not shower with cold water to prevent varicose veins.
•Bed rest beliefs vary from 10 to 30 days or longer.
•Family members take care of baby as mother is resting in bed.
•During bed rest, the head of the bed is elevated to help drain the blood.  If the
blood goes up, it is believed to affect the brain
•The Hilot massages the mother’s body with a certain oil for 12 days after birth to
strengthen the muscles.
•Due to the widening of the hips after birth, a woman should bind her hips
together with a strip of cloth; this aids in narrowing the hips.   
 To determine if the child would be male or female

Male                            Female
 
The mothers stomach is set lower

 The mothers stomach was set and is more round in pointy in

high and is contour contour
 The mother retained her beauty Malasma (the mask of pregnancy)
throughout her pregnancy or swelling occured because it was
 When walking, the mother said that the mothers beauty was
would step with her left foot given to/stolen by her child
first When walking, the mother would
step with her right foot first
 Funeral practices and burial customs in the Philippines encompass a
wide range of personal, cultural, and traditional beliefs and practices
whichFilipinos observe in relation to bereavement, dying, honoring, respecting,
interring, and remembering their departed loved ones, relatives, and friends.
Sources of the various practices include religious teachings, vestiges of
colonialism, and regional variations on these.

In the past and in present times, Filipinos

believe in the afterlife and give attention to respecting and paying homage to
dead people.Wakes are generally held from 3 to 7 day. Provincial wakes are
usually held in the home, while city dwellers typically display their dead at a
funeral home. Apart from spreading the news about someone’s death verbally.,
obituaries are also published in newspapers. Although the majority of the
Filipino people are Christians, they have retained superstitious beliefs
concerning death.
Wake
When a person dies in the Philippines, Christian Filipinos – such as
Catholics that include the Tagalog people– generally hold a wake known aslamay
or paglalamay, a vigil that typically lasts for five to seven nights, but may last
longer if the surviving family is waiting for someone who will be traveling from
afar. During this time, the cleaned and embalmed] body of the dead, placed in a
coffin, is displayed at the house of deceasedor at a funeral home. The exhibited
casket of the departed is traditionally surrounded by funeral lights,
a guest registry book, a contribution box, and
flowers Family members, relatives, and acquaintances participate in the vigil.
Apart from offering condolences, the participants, guests, and viewers of the
departed provide financial contributions (the abuloy) so that the family will be
able to manage the expenses of the wake and burial. Food and warm drinks are
customarily served during the nightly vigil. Typical activities conducted outside or
near the vigil area include singing, guitar playing, and gambling – such as playing
card games – to pass the time and to keep awake
• It is conventional that concerned visitors ask the
surviving family members how the deceased
died, if he or she suffered during his or her illness
or last moments, or how much the hospital
expenses were.
Such personal questions
convey valid affection and concern from the
vigil partakers. Other people also customarily
offer mass, novenas, and prayers for the benefit
of the deceased.