Joyful Textures by Margarita Cajumban

A showcase of the rich culture of us Filipinos!

The art exhibit I witnessed was truly inspired. ✨ All the designs were a reflection of the culture and heritage of the Filipino people.

In most of the paintings in this blog post you would notice markets filled with vegetables, fruits and smiling vendors. This is a reflective of the markets of long ago, which to this day still exists in many provinces all over the country.

The produce signify the bountiful harvest of the farmers who tirelessly work night and day in order to ensure that crops grow healthily.

You may also notice the makeshift house made of straw - this is called bahay-kubo in the Philippines. It is said to be the traditional house of our ancestors. But these types of houses are still actually present nowadays - more typical to see them in rural areas than in the urban setting.

On the first photo, notice that colourful big vehicle carrying so many passengers. Some may know the name but there may be a few of you Hive friends who do not. Here in PH this is called a jeepney or simply a jeep. I know it may come as a surprise because the car "jeep" do not necessarily look like this.

This jeep is the number 1 mode of transportation in most of the Philippines, especially in cities. Yes we have trains but they are not as common as jeepneys. So when you travel around here a jeep is your most common, and in no doubt most practical, choice of vehicle.

The second photo is a favourite of mine - three ladies wearing Filipiñanas! It is the term used for long dresses with puffed sleeves. This is our national "costume" paired with that of Barong Tagalog for the males. The 1900s Filipinos wore these kinds of clothes. (But I cannot imagine how HOT these must be and considering that our country is very hot!)

I love the Filipiñana! We teachers used to wear these during August since that is what we call "Buwan ng Wika" (month of language). We reflect on our Filipino culture, not just the language, during the entire month. ❤️

Stay tuned for the second part of this post for more art! 😘

For the best experience view this post on Liketu