Tag Archives: filipino

Bad Luck Funeral Superstitions

Context:

My informant is a 56-year-old woman of Vietnamese descent. She was raised Buddhist, but when she married her Filipino Catholic husband, she adopted some Filipino practices and stories.

Text:

“For funeral services, like after attending the service or the cemetery the family would go somewhere else before heading home, like the market or a coffee shop. That’s in the Philippines traditions, to leave the bad energy somewhere else. But in the Vietnamese tradition, we would place a bowl of water by the door and walk over it to divert the bad spirits or the bad luck from the home.”

Analysis:

In both of these cultures, I see this ritual as a way of cleansing the body before entering the sanctuary of their homes. In Filipino culture, it seems that they focus more on the places with significance. So leaving the bad energy, means literally leaving it in one location before returning home. In Vietnamese culture, they seem to connect with water, an element of life. Stepping over the bowl of water might represent that the connection to Mother Nature and Earth is enough to cleanse themselves from the presence of death they were just in.

Filipino Musical Folktale – Dip Dippo

Context:

My informant is a 18-year-old girl from Seattle, Washington. She is half Filipino and grew up learning about Filipino culture.

Text:

“One of my old, like, great grandpas from the Philippines told me a story about this guy who I’m pretty sure is like reincarnated into a drum, like a traditional drum. And he goes around and he’s like being used by the people and it’s bringing back all the memories of like, how important music is for like, the community and cultural celebrations. And it’s talking about just like how traditions are passed down through generations through music. He later wrote a short story, called Dip Dippo about it. But it was really cool.”

“Do you know where he learned it?,” I asked.

“I think that he was drawing on old Filipino folklore, but he told it to me as a children’s story in his own way.”

Analysis:

I noticed that as my informant was telling the story of this folktale, although she did remember the specifics of this tale, what she took away seems to be the core values of Filipino culture. This tale revolves around music, community, and culture. The tale builds off of the belief of reincarnation but adds in Filipino values. I think the story describes that, even after their loved ones have passed on, they can still connect with their spirit through music, building off of their community and culture.

Filipino Wedding Cord

Age: 35
Occupation: Nurse
Residence: Yorba Linda, CA
Language: English

Text

“When I got married, I included the Filipino wedding cord ritual. Not everyone at the wedding had heard of it, so I made sure we included a note in the program and had the officiant explain it too. It’s one of the traditional wedding customs in Filipino Catholic ceremonies, along with the veil and coins rituals.

The cord, or yugal, is typically a large decorative loop; it is usually made of silk or a rosary and shaped into a figure eight. This shape symbolizes infinity, endless love, and commitment. During the ceremony, two people called cord sponsors, who are usually a married couple chosen by the bride and groom, to drape the cord over the couple’s shoulders. 

One loop goes around the groom and the other around the bride. Then it rests gently across both of us, physically connecting us.

This is done after the vows and rings. It’s used to represent unity and the idea from that moment forward, we’re bound together not just legally or emotionally but also spiritually and communally too. 

In traditional Filipino culture, marriage isn’t just about the two people. It is also about the families, community, and even the ancestors who came before. The yugal is a visual symbol of that commitment. It says: we’re in this together, and we’re surrounded by support.”

Context

This narrative was shared by a Filipino American woman based in Southern California who recently got married and chose to include the yugal (wedding cord) ritual as a part of he wedding ceremony. The informant is second-generation, with her parents who immigrated from the Philippines. She explains that while she grew up seeing photos and hearing about traditional Filipino Catholic wedding customs, this was her first time directly participating in the ritual. She saw it as a meaningful way to connect with her cultural heritage and to educate non-Filipino guests attending her wedding.

She chose to have the officiant explain the ritual aloud during the ceremony and also included a brief description in the wedding program, since many guests were unfamiliar with Filipino customs. Her interpretation of the ritual highlights the spiritual, communal, and intergenerational dimensions of Filipino marriage traditions. To her, the yugal represents more than a decorative act. It visually affirms the idea that marriage is a bond supported by family, faith, and history.

My interpretation

The Filipino wedding cord ritual, also known as the yugal, is a traditional practice commonly performed during Filipino Catholic weddings. It is one of three primary unity rituals, alongside the veil and coin ceremonies, that serve as material and symbolic expressions of marriage as a sacred, communal, and culturally grounded institution. 

The yugal ritual is best understood as a life-cycle ritual and a form of performative tradition. It marks a moment of transition in the couple’s identity, not only as individuals becoming legally married, but as members of a broader cultural and familial system. Rituals like these are symbolically special acts that represent continuity with the past while actively shaping present social identity. In this way, the wedding cord ritual is not just decorative since it functions as a symbolic performance of cultural values, particularly those around unity, family, commitment, and faith.

The yugal also demonstrates the vernacular dimensions of religion. While it is part of Catholic wedding ceremonies, it is not a universal church practice and is instead deeply embedded in Filipino cultural contexts. It shows how religious expression can be shaped by folk practices passed down through community knowledge, rather than dictated by official religious institutions. This aligns with folklorist definitions of vernacular religion, which is a lived religious experience expressed through tradition, objects, and ritual enacted by ordinary people.

The cord ritual is also an example of intangible cultural heritage (ICH,) which is a form of tradition that is not a fixed artifact but a recurring, dynamic practice. Its meaning is carried through action, symbolism, and intergenerational participation rather than text or formal canon. However, as it becomes more frequently included in diasporic weddings (in this case, a Filipino American wedding), it also raises questions about heritage vs folklore. When the ritual is scripted into programs or explained to unfamiliar audiences, it edges closer to heritagization.

Debut (18th Birthday)

Nationality: Filipino American
Age: 23
Occupation: Student
Residence: Cerritos, CA

Text 

“When I turned 18, I had a debut. It is basically a Filipino coming-of-age celebration. It’s like a quinceañera but at 18. For Filipinos, it’s a big deal. Turning 18 means you’re entering adulthood, so you’re presented to your family and community with all the grace and glamor of a princess. 

The most memorable part of my debut was the 18 roses and 18 candles.

The 18 Roses are dances. 18 men, usually dads, cousins, and guy friends, each danced with me one by one. They handed me a rose and sometimes say a short message. It can get pretty emotional.

The 18 Candles are when 18 girls or women light a candle and give a short speech about me. Some speeches were funny, and others were mini love letters from my closest friends. It was a way of seeing myself through the eyes of people who had known me my whole life, and it really stuck with me. 

I didn’t grow up in the Philippines, but doing the debut made me feel connected to that part of me.”

Context 

The informant is a second-generation daughter who celebrated her debut at age 18 with a full program including traditional elements like 18 Roses and 18 Candles. She emphasized that while she was raised in the United States, the debut helped her feel connected to her Filipino heritage. 

My interpretation 

The debut functions as a coming-of-age rite that is both performative and symbolic. In folkloristic terms, it marks a liminal moment, a passage from girlhood into adult social identity that is celebrated through structured ritual acts. 

The debut reinforces intergenerational values, especially within diasporic settings where tradition must be actively chosen and adapted. The event also serves as a space of collective storytelling as speeches and dances become public affirmations of the debutante’s identity, relationships, and future. Through these performances, the community participates in shaping the celebrant’s transition, offering both affirmation and expectation.

Simbang Gabi

Age: 89
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Corona, CA
Language: English, Tagalog

Text

“I was born in the Philippines and grew up there. One ritual that stood out to me was Simbang Gabi. Every December 16th, we would begin nine days of dawn Masses leading up to Christmas. We woke up before the sun, wrapped ourselves in warm clothes, and walked to church with the stars still out. We called this Simbang Gabi, which means ‘night mass’ even though it happened just before sunrise. This originally was for farmers so they could worship before going into the fields. Even though this is a novena, it always felt like a festival too. After mass we would have puto bumbong, bibingka, and salabat.

When I moved to the United States back in the day, I missed Simbang Gabi. Eventually,I found a Filipino church group and started celebrating it again. Sometimes it’s at night instead of dawn since people work during the day. It’s not exactly the same, but the spirit is there.

Simbang Gabi is not just about going to church. It’s about preparing your heart for Jesus Christ. It’s about hope and light in the darkness. And every year, we do it again, not because we have to but because it reminds us who we are.”

Context

This narrative was shared by an 89-year-old Filipino woman currently living in Southern California. She was born and raised in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States around the 1960s. This story was told as a reflective oral account of the Simbang Gabi ritual, a Filipino Catholic tradition she participated in throughout her life, both in the Philippines and in the diaspora. 

This informant is a respected elder in her community and has acted as a cultural bearer for her children and grandchildren. She continues to practice elements of the ritual at home and at church with her church group.

My Interpretation

From a folklore perspective, Simbang Gabi functions as both a life-cycle and calendar ritual, which is tied to the Advent season and culminates on Christmas Eve. it is a clear example of intangible cultural heritage that is passed through oral tradition, communal memory, and ritual performance. The informant’s account also demonstrates how folklore adapts across geographies while retaining its symbolic core and responding to the needs of diasporic communities.

The ritual serves multiple functions since it is devotional, communal, performative, and sensory. It creates a liminal space between night and day, preparing the faithful spiritually while reaffirming cultural bonds. The informant’s memory of the Mass as both a sacred and celebratory event illustrates the blurring of ritual and festival, which is a common feature in folk tradition. This narrative also highlights how older members of a cultural group serve as active bearers of tradition, keeping practices alive even in new cultural contexts.