Written by Karen Lin and edited by Melanie Kuo and Abigail Romero
Director of Journalism’s note: The focus of this article is to have a basic look into Southeast Asian culture, but it doesn’t go over all Southeast Asian Cultures, only three of those cultures. Southeast Asia is a very diverse place and there is no intent in this article to boil them down to only three cultures, but we’ve found that these three cultures are a good representation in general. Another thing about Southeast Asian culture is that most Southeast Asian countries have a long history of colonization, so their cultures have a lot of outside influence. Because of the simplistic, understandable nature this article poses, the deep rooted history of colonization and its negative effects are not analyzed comprehensively, rather simply acknowledged. For further reading on the colonization of Southeast Asian Cultures, we recommend you check out this research guide by the University of Hawai’i: University of Hawai'i Manoa Library Southeast Asian Research Guide and Resources on Colonialism/Imperialism/Nationalism
Southeast Asia has been one of the most overlooked regions in Asia, however, it is still an important part of the Asian community. With Southeast Asia comprising 11 countries including islands ranging from Thailand and Indonesia to Malaysia and the Philippines, Southeast Asia holds a rich cultural, spiritual, and religious history with Vietnam, the Philippines, and Cambodia, being a few of the countries that are components of Southeast Asia, along with their distinct and abundant cultures.
VIETNAM
One of the oldest Southeast Asian countries is Vietnam after overthrowing China’s rule in 938 CE. Vietnamese culture is heavily influenced by Chinese culture, due to years of colonization, and influenced by the exposure of Western culture starting in the early 1990s.
Religion:
Some major religions in Vietnam include Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Buddhism, in particular, is one of the largest religions, with its number of followers comprising more than half of the population. Many Vietnamese people in Vietnam are believers of Buddha’s teachings, and those teachings have encouraged learning and love for family and society. In addition, a small part of the population is Catholic due to the French colonization which lasted for a long period of time, exposing Catholicism to the Vietnamese people.
Cuisine:
In Vietnamese cuisine, one of the most well-known dishes is Pho, which is a noodle soup and popular street food. Pho is also considered Vietnam's national dish. Originating in the 20th century in northern Vietnam, it became popular throughout the world by refugees after the Vietnam War.
Traditional Fashion:
In Vietnam, the national traditional dress is the Áo Dài. On special occasions such as Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, the Áo Dài is commonly worn by Vietnamese women. A few other Vietnamese traditional clothing items include the Áo Giao lĩnh (traditional cross-collared robe), the Áo Tứ Thân (four part dress), Áo cánh, and the Áo bà ba (traditional southern Vietnamese garment). Color symbolism was also a common idea in Vietnam. Traditionally, monarchs wore golden clothes while nobles and aristocrats wore purple and red.
Holidays:
Tet, also known as Vietnamese New Year, is one of the most important holidays and festivals in Vietnam. Based on the Lunar calendar, this holiday marks the arrival of spring. Depending on the Lunar calendar, Tet occurs around late January or early February and generally lasts for three days. During Lunar New Year, red and yellow colors can be seen everywhere since it is considered to bring good fortune.
PHILIPPINES
In the Philippines, the culture is composed of both Filipino and Spanish traditions, along with additional influences from other parts of Asia. The beginning of China’s influence and contribution to the Filipino culture began from trade and one of the major influences was on Filipino cuisine. For example, a Chinese-influenced dish in the Philippines includes lumpia. With the Spanish colonization, their influences were imposed onto the Filipino people, which notably includes religion. In addition, Filipino last names are derived from the Spanish due to years of colonization.
Religion:
Due to the 333 year Spanish colonization in the Philippines, Catholicism was coerced on to the Filipino people. It is also the only Christian nation in Asia. In fact, more than 80% of the population in the Philippines are Roman Catholic. Because of its long influence, many of the Filipino have assimilated into this religion and still practice it, making the majority of the population predominantly Christian. Though Christianity is the main religion now, it wasn't the only religion that Filipino people practiced. Before the Spaniards even entered the Philippines, many of the Filipino people practiced Islam. This was because of influence from other Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. The practice of Islam in the Philippines decreased severely after Spain coerced Catholicism onto the people.
Language:
Because of its history of colonization, it should come as no surprise that the Philippines is a multilingual country. Currently, only 55 countries are recognized as bilingual, and the Philippines is one of them, recognizing English and Tagalog as their national languages (with Spanish and Arabic as auxiliary protectected languages). Though every school kid is proficient in Tagalog and English, it is likely that they know more than two languages. The Philippines is a natural archipelago, a large gathering of little islands. Because of the distance between some of the islands, the Philippines has many different regional dialects including: Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, and Waray. The most common of these dialects are Cebuano and Ilocano, which are used in two of the three officially recognized island divisions (Tagalog is used in the third).
Cuisine:
In Filipino cuisine, adobo is one of the most well-known dishes in the Philippines. Aside from this dish, another well-known and important dish is lumpia, a spring roll composed of pork, beef, and vegetables, which was inspired by the Hokkien immigrants from China.
CAMBODIA
In Cambodia, its population consists of several ethnic groups. Most of its population, with over 97% of Cambodians, identify ethnically as Khmer. Many Cambodians also consider themselves descendants of the Khmer people from the Khmer Empire. The remaining population, however, include some people who are identified as Chinese, Chams, Khmer Loeu, and Vietnamese.
Religion:
Religion has had an incredible influence on Cambodia's culture. The vast majority of Cambodia’s population is Buddhist. In fact, about 96.9% of the country is affiliated with that religion. Many of the Buddhist principles are values found throughout the Cambodian culture. The small, remaining population in Cambodia identifies with other religions such as Islam and Christianity,
Holidays:
Cambodia has many traditional celebrations, with Khmer New Year being one of them and among the most popular traditional celebrations. Khmer New Year occurs in April every year, lasting for three days. This traditionally marks the end of the harvest season in Cambodia, and it is an extremely important, national holiday in the country. Khmer New Year is celebrated in recognition of farmers who have spent all year planting and harvesting rice, so this three day period is essentially a break from work for Khmer people (end of the harvest season). Moha Songkran is considered the first day of Khmer New Year during the three day period, in which it is believed that a new God or angel will protect the people throughout the year. On the second day, it is known as the day of giving, which is also known as Wanabat. During this day, gifts are being given to parents, children, and the elderly. Tanai Lieang Saka is the third day of this new year, meaning a new beginning. Celebrations are held on this day during the afternoon, and people visit the monks in the morning for blessings.
Cuisine:
In Cambodia, fish amok is one of the most well-known dishes. Though it is an indiginous Cambodian dish, this course is also popular in other Southeast Asian countries such as Laos and Thailand. While amok is the most popular of the Cambodian dishes, other traditional cuisine revolves around noodles, soups, and curries.
Traditional Clothing:
Traditional Cambodian clothing includes the sampot, dating back to the Funan Era, it is the national clothing of Cambodia. This traditional dress is also similar to the traditional dresses of Cambodia’s neighboring countries, Thailand and Laos. The sampot, generally worn by women, is a cloth wrapped around the waist with various colors ranging from red, green, yellow, and black. It is often worn on festive occasions. A type of sampot includes the sarong, which is commonly worn by men and women from lower classes. Besides the traditional clothing, krama is also common. Specifically, the krama is a cotton or silk made Cambodian tradition scarf. In Cambodia, it can be common to see people wearing krama, especially farmers working in the fields.
Southeast Asia is a diverse and beautiful place, and while the cultures of Vietnam, the Philippines, and Cambodia are similar, they also have disparities in their history, religion, and culture. These countries aren’t a representation of all of Southeast Asia, because just like these three countries, all of the southeast holds many different cultures and lifestyles. Despite their differences, the Southeast Asian countries all have one thing in common: their resilience.
Sources
Cover Photo by Channey on Unsplash
1. Nag, O. S. (2018, July 24). Vietnamese Culture. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.worldatlas.com/amp/articles/the-culture-of-vietnam.html
2. Scroope, C. (2016). Filipino Culture. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/filipino-culture/filipino-culture-religion
3. Scroope, C. (2017). Cambodian Culture. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/cambodian-culture/cambodian-culture-core-concepts
4. Culture of Cambodia – Main Values, Religion, Traditions. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://12go.asia/en/cambodia/culture
5. Nguyen, T. (n.d.). Traditions of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://www.adoptvietnam.org/vietnamese/tetvietnamesenewyear.htm
Comentarios