National Symbols

Bahay Kubo

The roof of the first Philippine houses, nipa huts, or bahay kubo, were high pitched and usually open gabled to allow for ventilation. The steeply sloping pitch also protected from the wind and rain in the typhoon season. The roof also provided wide overhang eaves, to provide shade from the hot sun.

Sampaguita
The flower called Sampaguita (Jasmine variety) was adopted as the National Flower of Philippines in 1934. It also happens to be the National Flower of Indonesia.

Philippine

Eagle

The National Bird of the Philippines is the Philippine Eagle (also known as the monkey eating eagle). The Philippine Eagle is a giant forest raptor endemic to the Philippines. It is considered one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world. Unfortunately, it is also one of the world's rarest and certainly among its most critically endangered vertebrate species. At present, the Philippine Eagle is one of the most endangered birds of the planet, with only about 500 birds in the wild.

Carabao
The carabao (kalabaw in Filipino) is a domesticated type of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis or sometimes bubalus carabanesis) used in the Philippines. Carabaos are highly associated with farmers, being the farm animal of choice for pulling the plow and cart used to haul farm produce to the market.

Narra
The large and shady Narra Tree is the national tree of Philippines. The Narra trees grow all over the islands and are abundant in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests.

Barong

Tagalog

The Barong Tagalog exhibits the loose, long lines of its Chinese sources, the airy tropical appearance of Indo-Malay costume, the elongated effect of Hindu dressing, and the ornamental restraint of European men's clothing. The barong appears to have retained its essential look since it was first worn. Through the years, almost imperceptibly, the barong's round neck, straight long sleeves and mid-thigh hemline were ingeniously modified with collar, cuffs and side slits.

Maria

Clara

Maria Clara, the name of the mestiza heroine of martyr Dr. Jose Rizal's 1890 novel, Noli Me Tangere, is the eponym for the resplendent Filipino costume in vogue at the turn of the century. The appellation is aprops for the ensemble, like the heroine, is delicate and feminine but clearly self-assured in terms of its projected sense of identity. It is, in fact, the only national costume that carries a literary name, and for this reason calls the attention to the apparel's subtle nationalist aesthitics.

Courtesy of: - 123independenceday.dgreetings.com

Singkil Dance A dance associated with royalty among the Muslim peoples of Mindanao. It has two components: a) two pairs of seated performers, each holding the opposite ends of bamboo poles, one pair at right angles to the other. They clap the poles together and down rhythmitically to the sound of gong music or acapella; and b) a royal pair, a "bai" (ranked female) with fans and a "datu" (ranked male) with sword and shield dancing in and out of the clapping poles. The "bai" is often followed by a maid holding an umbrella

Tinikling Dance A folk dance in imitation of the bird, snipe (tikling). It has two components: a) two seated performers holding opposite ends of a pair of bamboo poles, clapping these together and down rhythmitically to music; and b) a male and a female dancer who step in between and out of the clapping bamboo poles.

Tricycle The tricycle is a motorcycle with a side car attached. It resembles a little taxi that can weave through traffic and provides affordable transportation to the public. It provides transport service inside subdivisions and towns in the provinces.

Jeepney The jeepney is the mostt popular public transportation vehicle in the Philippines. It looks like a stretched jeep or a mini-bus that travels fixed routes in inner cities and the provinces. Fare is passed along passengers sitting across each other until it reaches the driver up front. One disembarks by saying "Para!" which means stop.

Mango The mango is a sweet, fragrant fruit that has yellow to yellow orange juicy flesh when ripe. It can also be eaten in its green unripe form with the popular bagoong. Its single large seed has fibers covering the husk. The best mangoes come from Guimaras Island.