The culture, customs, and traditions of the Philippines have been influenced by the peoples living here throughout the country's history. Aeta is the indigenous population of the Islands. This is a group of Australoid tribes. The Chinese began arriving on the Islands beginning in the VIII century. The Arabs landed here in the XIV century. The Spaniards arrived in the Philippines in the XVI. The country got its name from the name of the King of Spain Philip II. Many cities, regions, and streets have Spanish names. Many localities were built according to the Spanish architectural tradition. Indigenous peoples (Visayas, Tagalogs, Cebuano, Ilocano, Binisaya, and Hiligaynon) represent the majority of the population. Many of the people have Spanish first and last names. This is historically due to the order of the Governor-General, designed to spread Spanish culture, customs, and surnames among the locals. English and Pilipino (Filipino) are the official languages despite the significant Spanish influence. The Pilipino is based on local languages. The Tagalog language has had the greatest influence on it. In addition, there are more than 80 local dialects.
Most of the population is Catholic. The Philippines is the third country in the world by the number of adherents of Catholicism. Muslims, Protestants, and pagans represent the rest of the population. Catholics have great respect for their faith. They celebrate all religious holidays. Some of them are accompanied by violent rituals. For example, they engage in self-flagellation to experience the torments of Christ on Good Friday. Crucifixions also occur. The autonomy of the Catholic Church in the Philippines from the Vatican is its feature. It also denies one of the religious dogmas – celibacy, which Catholic priests must adhere to. Catholicism had an impact on legislation. Abortion and divorce are prohibited in the country.
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