This podcast explores the contrast between traditional and modern Filipino cultures, highlighting how historical practices have evolved over time. It begins with the Spanish influence on infrastructure and societal structure, then delves into traditional courtship, where young people had to earn respect through labor and patience before winning a partner’s family’s approval. Marriage ceremonies were deeply communal, with men’s friends and women’s friends engaging in shared events, and music performances sponsored by community members. The episode also touches on ancestral beliefs, such as "Bulong" (whispering wishes to the dead) and "Bag Bag" (visiting a funeral and leaving before returning home), which underscore spiritual connections to ancestors. In contrast, modern Filipino celebrations like Christmas emphasize individualism and commercialism, with people buying gifts instead of sharing meals. The shift in food, dating, and burial practices reflects broader societal changes. While the past offers a more connected, interactive lifestyle, the present provides greater ease and modernity. Ultimately, both eras offer valuable insights, and the podcast concludes that appreciating both past and present cultures enriches the Filipino identity.
Good day, our handsome and beautiful listeners.
Welcome to our podcast which you will be able to turn back time from the past and fill
their present culture to that country Philippines.
My name is Audrey VRZaga.
And I am Herb Nicole S. Riego.
We are the students at Mariano Market State University taking back to their varts in
English language. So, we will present the way that our past and present cultures impact
young people in the Philippines and why it is an important social phenomenon.
Let's talk about culture. As a little background, cultures in the Philippines are historically known
to be influenced by Spaniards. So if you will have the opportunity to visit our country, jump
at the chance and you will observe that by infrastructure itself, you will be able to
affirm how Spanish traditions inspired us we back then. And for this episode, surely you guys
will go through a lot of culture of emotions.
You're right, Audrey. I'm thinking about the evolution of our cultures from the past until now.
Seems like you're very fascinated, huh?
Yes, I am. I'm blooming like a flower, though.
Your heart is jumping, really.
Quite so.
Speaking of love, don't you know that the way of courting someone in the past was all about
courting the parents of the woman. As a shooter, you would do households like
catafire wood and fetch bath water from the well or river. You should also allow yourself
to earn patience before you would get her sweet yes and win the heart of the woman.
To prove your adoration for the woman, you're obliged to get the girls' families available first.
Oh, yeah, I've heard about that. And it seems so romantic and challenging for lovers to do such
things, huh? But have you observed the way of getting a job of some Filipinos before?
Oh, how is it?
You know what? Before most of the Filipinos were simply working on films.
Planting crabs and vegetables for a living. But consequently, some of them wanted to
go abroad to earn dollars. That's why most of our relatives are living now in Hawaii because
it was so easy to get a job abroad back then. It was kind of easy like ABCI bank.
Oh, how I wish that system will be implemented again. It's so hard to live nowadays.
I'd also want to earn dollars. Me too. But before you go to abroad, marry someone first.
So, you will somehow experience the way of having a marriage celebration before.
Can you give me some examples? Oh, sure. Way back then, the celebration of marriage
was such as all about the couples. It was also about the community. And night before the
ceremony, the couple would make the community alive by having events within the size of the
bride and groom. For example, all the men's friends of the groom shall take events with all the
women's friends of the bride. The couple will hire a band to perform and for every song they sing
will be sponsored by whoever wants to sponsor. The man who came from it will be handed to the couple.
Really, that was so nice. I would love to dance my future wife also under the stars,
seeing by many people. Is it it lovely? Someday, I would do that. It's classic, yet so romantic.
Yeah, but let's talk about the horror thingy of the Philippines before. I've heard a lot of
rumors about my great grandmother while she's still alive. She said the words "Bulong and Bag Bag".
Have you heard these words? "Same to scary, huh?" Not yet. Quite scary.
Induct as follows. So the word "Bulong" is like whispering your wish to a dead person.
Everything you want to have or achieve, you just need to whisper. It's so effective.
My teacher in high school whispered that she wanted to pass the word exam end. She passed.
The term bag bag is all about going to another place after you've visited the funeral,
because they believe that the soul of the dead person follows you to the first place after you've
visited. So, if you ever forget to bag bag and went to your house already most probably,
the departed soul would go to your home. Oh my god, it's carried a living day light out of me.
Seems like ancestors had a lot of cultures that would really captivate us.
You're absolutely right, but I'm kind of hungry and Christmas is almost near.
It's speaking of Christmas, my friend. Don't you know the way of our
ancestors celebrate Christmas before? My mom told me that they always wanted to go dishes
and share this to neighborhood advice visa. Filipinos before were too generous because
even the most expensive food they still wanted to give.
Really? So you could have so much food in your belly then?
Yeah, and like today, we only think of our family. I mean, it's not bad to only think of our
family, but you observe we follow Chinese cultures nowadays. Doing Christmas, we buy round 12 fruits
because it's a sign of success and prosperity. Instead of sharing and helping one another,
they tend to follow the bandwagon. Yeah, I also observe that
men's way of courting is so much different from the past. If they treated the girl once
today, tomorrow they're together already. Yeah, it seems like they're in rush.
Also the way on how we cook food, banana keon, kamadiki were our snacks before,
but now we follow western sides and now alarming.
You're right. The kind of ways of money to follow the bandwagon isn't it?
I also remember way back then that we usually put our dead loved ones in their own
tomb, but now they usually can make it and put to their house.
Yeah, it's good about the existence of new cultures, but can we just bring back the old ones?
For you, which is more fascinating?
Um, for me since I'm younger than you and opened my eyes to this generation,
I would love to choose the present cultures because it gives me the easier and more modernized
way of practicing them. For me the past, it was so calm and more interactive to
communicating with other people. But, whatever culture is, from the past or present,
were Filipinos and were obliged to appreciate the both sides.
So, that is the end of the podcast. We want to thank everyone for listening to our episode
of the past versus present cultures in the Philippines. We hope that you've learned a lot.
Again, that is Herbal. And that is Oji.
Salamat at Paala.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Historical Spanish influence is evident in Philippine infrastructure and cultural traditions.
Past courtship involved courting families through labor tasks, emphasizing patience and community involvement.
Traditional marriage celebrations were communal, featuring shared events and sponsorships, fostering strong social bonds.
Superstitions like "Bulong" and "Bag Bag" reflect deep ancestral beliefs in communication with the dead and spiritual consequences.
Older Filipinos practiced generosity during holidays like Christmas by sharing food with neighbors, contrasting with current individualistic celebrations.
Modern Filipino courtship is fast-paced, often skipping traditional steps, while food culture has shifted toward Western influences.
Burial practices have evolved from placing the dead in tombs to keeping them in homes, reflecting changing beliefs about death and family.
While past cultures emphasize interactivity and community, present cultures offer modern convenience, and both deserve appreciation.
Summary:
This podcast explores the contrast between traditional and modern Filipino cultures, highlighting how historical practices have evolved over time. It begins with the Spanish influence on infrastructure and societal structure, then delves into traditional courtship, where young people had to earn respect through labor and patience before winning a partner’s family’s approval. Marriage ceremonies were deeply communal, with men’s friends and women’s friends engaging in shared events, and music performances sponsored by community members.
The episode also touches on ancestral beliefs, such as "Bulong" (whispering wishes to the dead) and "Bag Bag" (visiting a funeral and leaving before returning home), which underscore spiritual connections to ancestors. In contrast, modern Filipino celebrations like Christmas emphasize individualism and commercialism, with people buying gifts instead of sharing meals. The shift in food, dating, and burial practices reflects broader societal changes.
While the past offers a more connected, interactive lifestyle, the present provides greater ease and modernity. Ultimately, both eras offer valuable insights, and the podcast concludes that appreciating both past and present cultures enriches the Filipino identity.
FAQs
In the past, young people had to win over the parents of the woman by performing tasks like fetching water from a well or carrying wood. This process required patience and demonstrated genuine devotion before gaining the woman's family's approval.
Marriage celebrations involved the entire community, with events held the night before. Men and women of the families would mingle, a band would perform, and each song was sponsored by someone, with the sponsor receiving a gift from the couple.
'Bulong' refers to whispering one's wishes to a dead person, believed to bring about the fulfillment of those desires. Historically, it was thought to be powerful, like when someone whispered a wish to pass an exam and succeeded.
'Bag Bag' means visiting a funeral and then going to another place to avoid the spirit of the deceased following you home. If someone forgets to do this, it was believed that the departed soul might enter their home, bringing bad luck.
In the past, Filipinos shared food generously with neighbors, emphasizing community and generosity. Today, Christmas is often marked by individualistic habits, like buying round 12 fruits for prosperity, rather than sharing.
Traditional snacks like banana keon and kamadiki were common in the past. Today, Filipino food culture has shifted toward Western-style meals and fast foods, leading to a noticeable change in eating habits.
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