Cebu Culture and Heritage

Submitted by admin on Tue, 2006-11-14 22:55.

The Chinese saw the value of Cebu as a trading post in around 900AD and the island's physical location made it the obvious place for the Spaniards to establish the Philippine's first city.

Cebu became the defacto capital of the Spanish colony. Its central trading and shipping post status resulted in the remarkable range of cultures mixing amicably with the Malays. A unique cosmopolitan culture evolved during the 400 years of Spanish rule and continued during 400 years of American influence.

Peoples from many countries live in Cebu and are well integrated with the local population. The main religion is Roman Catholicism, while nearly every other religion is freely practiced.

Although pre Spanish culture is still a way of life for some mountain villagers it is often woven into the cultures of other lands then expressed in song and dance extravaganzas such as the Sinulog festival. Such fiestas creatively mingle foreign influences with local folklore.