PINOY TRIVIA: Why do so many Filipino women (and men) carry "Maria" in their names?
Many Filipinos carry Maria in their names dates back to Spanish times
when parishes would refuse to baptize a child unless the parents chosen
name included the allusion to the Virgin Mary/Sta Maria. The practice
persist to this day, but on a far less pervasive scale.
Did you know that "Arnis", also known as kali, escrima, baston, etc. is a complete martial art system, encompassing weapons training and empty-hand self-defense is part of the Philippine Culture.?
Arnis includes training in single stick techniques (solo baston),
double stick techniques (doble baston), stick and knife or dagger
techniques (espada y daga) and knife techniques (daga).
Some styles may include staff and spear (sibat) training in their curriculum.
Others will include the practice of medium to long bladed weapons (bolo) in their repertoire.
Many styles have some form of empty hand combat, encompassing striking, kicking, locking, throwing and even choking methods.
These are usually taught when the practitioner has demonstrated a
reasonable degree of proficiency with the weapons of his style of arnis.
Different arnis styles, from different parts of the country, may emphasize different areas of the training methods noted above.
The term arnis is believed to be a Tagalog corruption of the Spanish
term arnes, or harness, a reference to the decorations worn by the early
Filipinos.
Kali is another term used to refer to the same kind
of martial arts. Different provinces may have different names for
arnis, such as baston and kaliradman (Ilonggo, Bisaya), pagkalikali
(Ibanag) and kalirongan (Pangasinan).
These are only a few examples of the terms already recorded in different sources.
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PINOY TRIVIA: When and who introduced the English language in the Philippines ? If you thought it was America, like I did, you would be wrong.
The Philippines is the world's 3rd largest English-speaking nation, next to the USA and the UK.
Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not Americans.
A British conquest of the Spanish Philippines occurred between 1762 and 1764, although the only part of the Philippines which the British actually occupied was the Spanish colonial capital Manila and the nearby principal port, Cavite, both on Manila Bay.
On 24 September 1762, the small but technically proficient force of British Army regulars and British East India Company soldiers, supported by the ships and men of the East Indies Squadron of the British Royal Navy, sailed into Manila Bay from Madras. The expedition, led by Brigadier General William Draper and Rear-Admiral Samuel Cornish, captured Manila, "the greatest Spanish fortress in the western Pacific", and attempted to establish free trade with China.
On 2 November 1762, Dawsonne Drake of the British East India Company assumed gubernatorial office as the British governor of Manila. He was assisted by a council of four, consisting of John L. Smith, Claud Russel, Henry Brooke and Samuel Johnson.
British author Nicholas Tracy writes that the British only ever continuously controlled Manila and nearby Cavite. But Manila was the capital, and key, to the Spanish Philippines, and the British accepted the written surrender of the Spanish government in the Philippines from Archbishop Rojo and the Real Audiencia on 30 October 1762.
The isolated British presence in the Philippines was precarious and attempts to extend their rule outside of Manila and Cavite were unsuccessful, with only a few areas briefly coming under their authority or influence. The Seven Years War was ended by the Treaty of Paris (1763) signed on 10 February 1763. The British ended their rule by embarking from Manila and Cavite in the first week of April 1764, and sailing out of Manila Bay for Batavia, India, and England.
