4 Easy Ways to Include the Philippines in Your Home

This may be a no-brainer to all of you but I was feeling pretty clueless about how I could intentionally include our culture in our home. Yes, I should have known that by being in immigrant I already carry the culture with me, but I still had to figure this out.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to have more Filipino-centered items and experiences available to my kids, but here’s a quick list of things you can do and try if you are wondering the same thing.

Art

This should have been an easy decision to make, considering I have an artist brother. Let me blame my mom brain then, lol. Here’s a link to a wonderful museum back home to get you started: Ayala Museum

Click the video below to see a new masterpiece the museum unveiled recently by master painter Juan Luna

Philippine material in your home decor

If you have the opportunity to come home or shop at Philippine-themed shops, you can purchase items made of capiz, acacia, rattan, or bamboo. These items can bring a sense and feeling of home into your family’s daily life.

Family photos

Yes we probably already have these on our walls and shelves, but we can think about including photos of our ancestors, or even grandparents, uncles, cousins, who live in other parts of the world. It can be quite the conversation starter for children to find out that they have such a rich history and deep family story.

Music

And yesss the biggest no-brainer for me! Music has the insane ability to cross over language barriers, biases, and awkward silences. There is a wealth of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) out there for all of us to discover and enjoy. So let me leave you with this gem by Luz Morales, featuring several folk songs that we should all know and get familiar with.

Hopefully this quick list inspires you and gives you some ideas about bringing our culture into your home. Let me know if you have other ideas as well, I’d love to hear them!