Customs

One of the Filipino customs is the money dance.  That’s one of the traditions you do at a Filipino wedding.  The bride and groom dance to a Filipino love song or folksong and while they are dancing, the guest will put money in the bride’s mouth. The person who gives the money brings the couple's heads together as if kissing. Sometimes people throw money on the floor or pin the dollar bills on the bride and groom's clothing. Sometimes the money is placed in an envelope and put into the bride,s mouth. The money dance has become a tradition at Filipino weddings in Hawaii. The idea of this is to help contribute to the wealth and happiness of the couple. 

Music and dancing are an important part of Filipino culture. At Filipino gatherings you often see the tinikling (Bamboo Dance) or the wine dance in which young girls dance with filled glasses on their hands and heads. Just as there are many different languages in the Philippines so are there different styles of dance. For example, the Igorot dances come from a Filipino mountain tribe. Their instruments are mostly drums and flutes. The customs of these people resemble the bright, woven cloths of Indian tribes. There are the Muslim dances which come from the south where some people dress like those living in Arabia. The music of the Filipinos coming from the island of Luzon, which is where many of Hawaii's Filipinos come from, is similar to the Spanish or Mexican music played during fiestas.

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