Lunar New Year 2021: 5 facts about the Chinese in the Philippines

Photo by Jinggoy I. Salvador
Photo by Jinggoy I. Salvador

THE Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is one of the most important celebrations in China and other parts of the world where Chinese people are present. It marks the beginning of spring and the new year based on the Chinese lunar calendar.

In the Philippines, the celebration of Chinese New Year has been part of the Filipino psyche for centuries, as the Chinese's presence in the archipelago dates back even before the Spaniards stepped foot on the nation's soil.

Tsinoys (Chinese-Filipinos) will welcome the Year of the Ox on Friday, February 12, 2021. Here are some facts about the Chinese in the Philippines.

1. Philippine-Chinese relations date back centuries before Spanish rule

2. Chinese settlement was established in Parian, Cebu in 1590
3. Binondo, Manila is the oldest Chinatown in the world
4. Jose Rizal had Chinese blood, could speak Chinese
5. Chinese New Year was first declared a holiday in the country in 2012
SOURCES:
Bacus, Elisabeth. (2004). “The Archaeology of the Philippine Archipelago”, Southeast Asia: From Prehistory to History, Ian Glover ed. p. 270 East Sussex: Psychology Press.

Locsin, Leandro and Cecilia. (2008). “Ceramics Discovered in the Philippines”, from Victor J. Paz, “Defining Manila Through Archaeology”, Manila: Selected Papers of the 17th Annual Manila Studies Conference August 13- 14, 2008. Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts

Pre-Colonial Manila (n.d.) Malacañang. http://malacanang.gov.ph/75832-pre-colonial-manila/

Khor, Samantha. (2020, May 8). The History Behind the World’s Oldest Chinatown in Manila. AirAsia. airasia.com/explore/assets/blt556103da8164afae/the-history-behind-the-worlds-oldest-chinatown-in-manila

Umali, Justin (2019, February 4). How Binondo Became the World’s Oldest Chinatown. Esquire Magazine. https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/binondo-history-oldest-chinatown-a2212-20190204-lfrm

PHOTO SOURCES:

Photo 1, 2, 4, 5: File photo

Photo 3: Associated Press

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