Children’s museum highlights 6 Fun Facts about the Philippines

 

Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega opened the Philippine Day at the Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) with a brief show-and-tell about the Philippines as one of the most diverse countries in the world.

The February 19 program featured workshops celebrating various aspects of Philippine life, geography, arts, and culture. There was a clay-making workshop with the geography of the Philippines serving as inspiration; a stop-animation lab featuring the Sulu Sea as backdrop, Soundscapes of the Luzon rainforest in the Sound Lab, Kut-Kut inspired prints, and the creation of Shadow Action Figures modelled after the work of Filipino artist Ronald Ventura. There was also a dance performance workshop by Sinding Kindaw Melayu Heritage Center led by its founder and artistic director Potri Ranka Manis.

Dizon-De Vega was assisted by her daughter Montserrat when she turned over a Philippine doll handcrafted by Anthill Fabric Gallery of Cebu and a book for children on Philippine architecture as donations to the CMA collection.

To get the public ready for the festival, the CMA put together these six fun facts about the Philippines on its website.

1. The Philippines is composed of more than 7,500 small islands, making it an archipelago with the 5th longest coastline in the world. There are three active volcanoes in the Philippines: Mayon Volcano, Mount Pinatubo and Taal Volcano.

2. Since 2010, public and private schools close down for the People Power Anniversary. In 1983, the People Power Revolution was a series of protests and demonstrations against regime violence, electoral fraud, and oppressive rule. Also known as the Yellow Revolution, this nonviolent, civil resistance led to the restoration of democracy in the Philippines.

3. The hot and humid, tropical climate of the Philippines makes the country prone to monsoons and typhoons. The local term for tropical cyclone is ‘Bagyo.’ In some parts of the island annual rainfall can reach up to 200 inches!

4. The national flower is the sampaguita, symbolizing humility, strength and simplicity. The Legend of the Sampaguita is the story of one woman’s heartache creating the sampaguita flower from her sorrow. The sweet smelling flowers are originally from India and often used to make garlands and perfumes.

5. Filipino youth honor their roots with the ancient tattoos of their heritage. The Four Waves tattoo combines traditional and contemporary designs representing the four colonizers that made the Philippines home: afro-Asiatic Aeta (pygmies), the “first peoples”; the second, the Malayo-Polynesians; the third, the Arabs and Indians, introducing writing and literature; and the Spanish colonizers.

6. Considered the lost art of the Philippines, Kut-Kut was created by ancient, indigenous artisans of the Philippines. Kut-Kut is based on an early century layering technique. These ancient styles create interwoven, swirling lines that appear 3-D!

Consul General Theresa Dizon-de Vega (3rd from right) and daughter Montserrat de Vega with Kinding Sindaw Troupe, and Michelle Lopez, director of Community Program at the Children’s Museum of the Arts.  Photo:  Philippine Consulate

Consul General Theresa Dizon-de Vega (3rd from right) and daughter Montserrat de Vega with Kinding Sindaw Troupe, and Michelle Lopez, director of Community Program at the Children’s Museum of the Arts. Photo: Philippine Consulate



One Comment

  1. Yolanda Y wrote:

    What an excellent experience for our child reading this article. Informative.

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