PISTA AT PAGKILALA
The use of festival iconography as a method of defining
the Filipino garden
Navarro, J. S., R.
A garden’s identity is heavily influenced by its context-historical, cultural, social, and political. In the Philippines where most of our culture is defined by how we adapted to the culture of others, defining a Filipino garden is seemingly an impossible task. This study aims to describe a garden that shows an important aspect of our culture: the culture of celebration.
Because Filipinos are known for their resilience and good-naturedness, there is almost a fiesta for every occasion. Whether to ask for more blessings from the gods or saints or to celebrate the life of a hero, fiestas are a place for dancing, drinking, and coming together as a community.
Therefore, for a holistic approach, the researcher studied the varying aspects of some major festivals from each region — their history, how they are celebrated today, and their key elements. In the end, this study would help provide insight on how we could design a garden based on an aspect of the cultural context of the Philippines.