CLEANLINESS AND NEATNESS

EARLY Filipinos were clean and neat in nature. They bathed everyday in the
river during sunsets. They used gugo and water as their washing aids to their hair
and anointed it with coconut oil. Upon waking up in the morning, they washed their
mouths and teeth to keep it clean. They chewed buyo which makes their teeth
colored and strong too.
According to Father Francisco Colin, they keep a vessel with full of water at
the door of their houses and used it to wash their feet before entering the house
especially during rainy season.
FOOD AND DRINKS:
• Staple food is rice
• Carabao meat, pork, chickens, sea turtles, fish, bananas, and other fruit and
vegetables
• They ate with their fingers, using banana plants as plates and coconut shells
as drinking cup
• They made fire to cook food by rubbing two pieces of dry wood when heated,
produced a tiny flame
• They store their drinking water in big earthen jars or in huge clean bamboo
tubes
• They make tuba- which was made from coconut
• Other wines
Ilocano – basi (from sugarcane)
Bisayen wine- pangasi (from fermented rice)
Tagalog- lambanog (from coconut palm)
Igorot- tapuy (distilled from rice)

The Philippines is defined from other Asian countries because of the beautiful
blend of East and West as manifested by the country’s religion, political history and
cultural heritage. Although our history has been overpowered by the story of our
oppression from the foreigners, it is but proper to revisit the era before the
historical colonization. In here we would realize that the Philippines is not a mere
survivor of three centuries of tyranny but rather, a country with rich culture and
holds nationalistic traditions.

HOUSE AND DWELLING

The classical Filipinos had built houses on their own and basically, for their
own families. These houses were grouped according to a certain barangay,
however, one house was never built adjoining another. To suit the tropical
Philippine climate, these houses were built using wood, bamboo or rattan and
roofed by nipa palm leaves. This house is traditionally called bahay-kubo or nipa
hut. They were traditionally built upon stakes to form arigues (columns) high above
the ground. Each house had their own batalan (gallery) where the ancient kept jars
of water for household purposes. Under the house are enclosures to where they had
kept their rice, firewood and animals. Each house also had a bamboo ladder that
could be drawn up at night or when the family was in order to keep the thieves from
getting in the house. There were also adornment in classical Filipino houses and
they were called bahandin. It was also noted by historians that the early Filipinos
always maintained the cleanliness of their houses by placing a jar of water outside
their house.

According to historians and jurists, the classical Filipinos had built their
houses strategically according to their own advantage. Such as the mountaineers of
the island of Panay who built their houses in trees which are commonly large in
order to accommodate a house that could contain 40 or 50 families. These Panay
people built their tree-houses in order to protect themselves from their enemies.
Also, the Badjaos or the Sea Gypsies of the Sulu Sea had built boat houses to
maintain their access to the sea where they acquire their sources of living.

The sizes of the houses during these times – especially that of the nipa huts
built in one barangay – could also determine the rank of the dweller in the society.
The higher the dweller’s rank was, the bigger they built their houses such as that of
the chieftains.

MODE OF DRESSING

Long before the coming of the Spaniards the early Filipinos were already
wearing clothes. They were not naked savages like the Old Stone Age people in
Europe or America.

Male: Among the ancient Filipinos, the male attire was composed of the upper and
lower parts

 The upper, called kanggan, was a black or blue collarless jacket with short
sleeves. It seems that the color of the jacket indicated the rank of the wearer,
for the chief wore a red jacket, while those below his rank wore either blue or
black depending upon their position in society.

 The lower part of the attire, called bahag, consisted of a strip of cloth
wrapped about the waist, passing down between the thighs. Such method of
dressing naturally left one’s thighs and legs exposed.

 The male had a headgear consisting of a piece of cloth, called putong,

which was wrapped around his head. The color of the putong showed the
“manliness” of a man; a red putong for instance, signified that the wearer
had killed a man in war. But he who had killed at least seven was privileged
to wear an embroidered putong.
  The men’s personal adornments included necklace, armlets (called
kalombiga), earings, rings, and anklets. These adornments were usually
made of gold.

Female: The woman’s dress, too, was composed of the upper and lower parts.

 The upper, called baro or camisa, was a jacket with sleeves,

 The lower part, called saya by the Tagalogs and patadyong by the
Visayans, was loose skirt. A piece of red or white cloth, called tapis, was
usually wrapped about the waist.

 The woman, on the other hand, had no putong, but wore her hair gracefully
knotted at the back of her head.

 The personal adornments of women were bracelets, gold earrings, necklaces,

and rings which were studded with precious gems.

o Men, women and children walked about barefooted.

o Both men and women inserted “ gold between their teeth as an ornament”