PEOPLE, CULTURE AND THE ARTS
The Pampangos share the general culture and traditions of the lowland Christian Filipinos, especially of their Tagalog neighbors to the east and south. However, they speak a distinct language, which is a source of ethnic pride. Spanish chroniclers and early anthropologists have remarked on the distinctiveness of that language and they have proposed theories that the Pampangos may have come to the Philippines from Java or elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
The Pampangos apply themselves to the same industries as the Tagalogs but are renowned for certain crafts for which they excel. They are exceptional jewelers and goldsmiths, as well as furniture makers and woodcarvers. Antique jewelry and furniture from Pampanga are considered valuable heirlooms by Filipino families and as priced possessions by antique collectors.
Pampangos are renowned throughout the archipelagos as excellent cooks. They have ingeniously incorporated indigenous, Spanish and Chinese elements into their cuisine that have made the Pampanga food preparation and culinary arts both exotic and sumptious. Among the more known specialities of the Pampangos include buro, which is meat, fish or vegetables preserved in brine or fermented with rice, tapa, or dried beef or venison, tocino, or cured pork, longaniza or spiced pork sausages, aligi, or crab fat, and sisig, or sizzling pig cheeks.
The province of Pampanga had been held under the influence of the Catholic Church since the beginning of Spanish colonization. Some of the most colorful and interesting observances are connected with Christian holidays. During Good Friday, several towns in Pampanga hold atonement rites. Masked flagellants parade in the streets of beating their bare backs with whips and kneel before the church. Others are "crucified" onto wooden crosses in passion plays that mark the important Christian day.
Every year, during Christmas time, Pampanga becomes the hub of a thriving industry centered on the making of colored lanterns alit with blinking patterns of light. On the 24th of December, the provincial capital, San Fernando becomes the focal point of the Giant Lantern Festival. A kaleidoscope of lights and tinsel from giant lanterns come together to compete and showcase the ingenuity of the Pampango.
The province also boasts of some of the most beautiful examples of colonial church architecture in the Philippines. The churches of Betis , Apalit, Bacolor, and Angeles stand out because of the designs and embellishments that were used in adorning the Christian houses of worship.
PAMPANGA :The name "Pampanga" comes from the word pangpang meaning riverbank, a fitting name for a flat country crisscrossed by a hundred small branches of the Pampanga River. The province lies in the southern portion of the central plains of Luzon. It is bounded on the east and southeast by Bulacan, on the north by Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, on the west by Zambales and on the southwest by Bataan. Towards the south, Pampanga opens up to Manila Bay. The terrain is flat except for some hills in the northwest, which form part of the Zambales Range, and for Mount Arayat in the northeast while along the bay are extensive swamplands. The climate is very distinct with the rainy season from May to October and the dry season from November to April.
People and culture
Main article: Kapampangan people
The inhabitants of Pampanga are generally referred to as Kapampangans (alternatively spelled Capampañgan), Pampangos, or Pampangueños. A little history of Pampanga shows that the Kapampangans take pride in their province for being one of the eight provinces in the country to revolt against Spain and having produced two presidents, three chief justices, a senate president, the first Filipino cardinal and many outstanding personalities in public service, education, diplomacy, journalism, the arts and sciences, entertainment and business.
Kapampangan cuisine is widely thought to be among the most evolved and refined of Philippine culinary traditions.