What to Say to Filipino Parents When You Want to Date Their Daughter

It’s hard enough meeting the parents of a woman you’re dating, so imagine how much harder it is if you’re dating someone whose cultural background is radically different from yours. This is the main problem faced by western men dating Filipina women. Even if you’ve been to the Philippines a few times, and even if you have several Filipino friends, you’re still not equipped with the right things to say to the parents of a Filipino woman you’re dating. What do you say to Filipino parents when you want to date their daughter? How would the subject even come up?

Date a Filipina Girl
Date a Filipina Girl

The good news is that there are two magic lines that can help you make a great impression right from the start. Here they are:

Magic Line #1 – “When I got to know her, it was obvious to me that she came from a good, respectable family. That’s why I wanted to meet you.”

This may sound like a strange thing to say at first, but Filipinos are very family-oriented. Apart from caring about traditional family values, they also care about how their family is perceived. Filipino parents would appreciate hearing that the good character of their daughter reflects their own good qualities as parents.

Magic Line #2 – “She’s very smart, understanding, and kind. I also admire how much she loves and respects you both – I hope I can do the same.”

It’s a common mistake to try and impress Filipino parents with your own list of achievements. But what most western men don’t know is that humility is important to Filipinos. They play down their own achievements and good qualities. Bragging is frowned upon.

Instead of talking about yourself, praise their daughter. Note that you don’t have to use the exact words listed above. Any praise noting the character of the woman you’re dating will do. It’s also important to mention how she cares for her parents, and how you are willing to do the same. This will go a long way expressing to them that you are open to accepting them as part of your family should you decide to make a stronger commitment later on.

While these two magic lines won’t get you through the whole conversation, it’s a great way to start. Don’t be surprised that, as a result of saying these words, the family will welcome you with open arms and invite you to sit down with them on a spontaneous celebratory meal that marks the start of your courtship.

How Do Filipinos Greet Each Other?

If you’re planning a trip to the Philippines, it might do you good to understand a few things about the Filipino culture, including how do Filipinos greet each other. You may not be expected to adapt to their culture, but as the saying goes, “when in Rome, do what the Romans do”. In the same way, when you are in the Philippines, you could try to greet Filipinos the Filipino way, too. This will make you feel more at home in the beautiful country, that is the Philippines, and make Filipinos easily warm up to you.

Cheek-kissing is a means of greeting you’d often see in other countries, but it’s not usually practiced in the Philippines, especially between strangers and not too close acquaintances. Cheek-kissing, if indeed done, is usually between close friends and family members only.

Normally, Filipinos greet one another with a smile, a wave, a hand shake, and by saying “Hi, kumusta ka?” In English the greeting means “hello, how are you?” Friends who haven’t seen each other in a long time would make the customary greetings, and then follow them up with comments on the other’s physical appearance. Some people find this a bit rude, but Filipinos are quite used to this already, and most of them are not at all insulted by this.

You will not often see or hear Filipinos greeting strangers, especially foreigners, in street corners. It’s not in their culture to do that. But it does not mean that they are snobbish. In fact, when you get to know a Filipina deep down, you will know that she is an interesting being.

Filipinos are generally hospitable. They will not make you feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. They will go the extra mile to attend to your needs, and they will have your full itinerary planned out for you so you’ll have something fun to do every minute of the day. Filipinos are proud of their heritage; they will take you to the best places in town, to experience fiestas and festivals, and to taste their mouth-watering dishes. The Filipino hospitality is well known throughout the world, and extended to anyone, regardless of social class or color. So when in the company of a Filipino, you can be secured in the thought that you are in good hands.

A Filipino girl can be very funny, too. She can make you laugh with tales of her childhood in the province as well as her school life. If the Filipina is working already, she will have many interesting things to tell about her co-workers, too. Just listening to her gab about her life is already quite an entertainment, and there is still pretty much to discover and love about her!

Filipinas are smart and witty. Even though education is not practically 100% free even in many public schools in the country, education is being made accessible to most Filipinos. Many receive quality education and this is evident when you communicate with Filipino women.

Knowing how do Filipinos greet each other is very interesting, indeed, but it’s definitely not the only thing that makes Filipinos great.

How Do Filipinos Celebrate Weddings?

How do Filipinos celebrate weddings may sound strange to foreigners, but if they do get a chance to witness a traditional Filipino wedding, they will certainly love the experience. Weddings in the Philippines are never a one-day event. The wedding preparation takes months. And then comes the wedding day itself which in most cases begins from sun-up to sundown.

Filipino weddings are typically solemnized in the church, officiated by a Catholic priest or a pastor, depending on the religion of the couple. Garden weddings have become quite popular these days, too, but usually they are allowed only when it is not going to be a Catholic wedding.. If it is, the couple must have been married in civil rites first for them to obtain permission to get married in a garden or non-church setting.

Catholic wedding ceremonies, regardless of where thuey are celebrated, usually takes more than an hour to finish. The bride arrives in a bridal car, a carriage, or mode of transportation for that matter just minutes before the wedding. Then the church bells ring, signaling the start of the ceremony. The wedding ceremony begins with the processional of the wedding entourage composed of the groom, the parents of the groom, the principal sponsors (some have as many as 20 pairs of principal sponsors!) who will stand as witnesses, secondary sponsors who will light the candles, and put on the veil and cord, the maid or matron of honor, the best man, the bride’s maids and junior bride’s maids, the coin bearer, the ring bearer, the bible bearer, the flower girls, and finally the bride who may or may not be accompanied by her parents. Sometimes, the processional alone can take 20 minutes already!

The mass proper then begins; incorporated therein are the wedding rituals such as the exchange of vows, the exchange of rings, and the giving of the arrhae. A photo shoot after the mass is customary. This can take another 30 minutes to one hour. If you want this portion to be organized, better get the services of a professional photographer who has vast experience taking wedding photographs.

After the wedding, the guests proceed to the reception. It can be in a hotel or in the bride’s residence. Hotel wedding receptions can be very expensive, but they can be less stressful for the couple and their families as they no longer need to stress themselves out any more than they already have. Wedding receptions held in the house are more comfortable and fun, though. All the neighbors get to be invited which make the affair very memorable. They are also less expensive, but can be more tiring.

During the wedding reception, the usual rituals, such as the slicing of the cake, the throwing and catching of bouquet and garter, and the releasing of doves, are observed, with some variations. There is an abundance of food, lots of table-hopping, greeting friends and guests, picture-taking, dancing, singing, and tears of joy.

So how do Filipinos celebrate weddings? Well, Filipino weddings are joyously celebrated, that’s for sure!

 

How Do Filipino Girls Celebrate New Year?

If you are looking to celebrate the holiday season in the Philippines, it should be of great interest to you to find out how do Filipino girls celebrate New Year in their home country. This ought to make your vacation more memorable, and not only that; it might also bring you closer to the heart of a Filipina.

In the Philippines, New Year is not a separate event, but rather an extension of Christmas. And so there is pretty much of the Christmas cheer left come New Year’s Day.

A few days before New Year, vendors can be found in designated areas selling fire crackers (paputok), such as Baby Rockets, Rebentador, Jumbo Fountain, Whistle Bomb, Luisis, Watusi, Bulalakaw, and Triangulo. Actually the selling of firecrackers has been banned or already regulated because of the many accidents caused by these. Yet vendors continue to sell, and Filipinos continue to buy them. These firecrackers, lighted on New Year’s Eve, decorate the night sky and create loud, deafening noises, bidding goodbye to the year that was and welcoming the New Year.

Typically, the men take care of lighting of the firecrackers, while women busy themselves with the preparations for the New Year’s Noche Buena. They make sure there is an abundance of foods and fruits on the table at the strike of midnight.

Traditionally, Filipino girls celebrate New Year with their family at home. The more religious of the lot hear the New Year’s eve mass, while others prefer to stay at home and help out in the preparations in whatever way they can. If you want to make an impression with a Filipina, offer to accompany her in Church and if she invites you for Noche Buena, accept it and offer your services. She will make you feel welcome at home and you will have a great time with her relatives and friends. The celebration lasts until way past midnight.

Well, that’s how far as tradition goes. Modern Filipino women have other ways of celebrating the New Year. Some choose to have dinner in a hotel which usually has many exciting offers that include special dinner buffet and a spectacular display of fireworks at 12 midnight. And since it’s often dangerous to go back home with many Filipinos out in the streets still lighting their firecrackers, these modern girls end up spending the night in the hotel.

The day after is a bit lazy for everyone. People are in their homes, sleeping, resting, or just lying about. There aren’t many vehicles on the streets, no passengers waiting in terminals, no pedestrians crossing the streets. Most establishments, including malls and groceries, are closed, so there really is nowhere else to go but home.  New Year’s day itself is very quiet.

Now that you have an idea how do Filipino girls celebrate new year, you have a choice of sticking with tradition or jazzing it a bit to make it more interesting for you and for the Filipino girl you choose to celebrate the New Year with.

How Do Filipino Women Celebrate The Christmas Season?

It should be interesting to know how do Filipino women celebrate the Christmas Season. That, of course, depends on where they are. Filipino women, as you know, are all over the world, and Christmas is celebrated differently in other parts of the globe. In as much as these Filipino women abroad would like to keep their Filipino Christmas traditions, they are sometimes limited by the culture and traditions of the country they are in.

Filipinos prepare much for Christmas. Christmas in the Philippines is a highly anticipated event. As early as September, many Filipinos already start shopping for gifts in the hope of avoiding the “Christmas rush”. Shopping during the Christmas season can be very taxing, indeed, with people bumping into one another, and ending up choosing as a gift the first thing they get their hands on. If you want to choose more carefully, then you should make the habit of shopping for gifts earlier.

Come October, Christmas songs could be heard in radio stations, and by November, the streets are already glowing with lanterns and Christmas lights in every color. Christmas parties are held in schools and workplaces. Reunions and Homecomings are scheduled around this time. There is an abundance of food, festivities, and everything else you can think of. And that’s not all, apparently.

Filipino women who are Catholics make their celebration of the Christmas Season more meaningful by attending dawn masses for nine straight days. It must be a real sacrifice to wake up very early in the morning and brave the cold air to hear mass, but for them, it’s a wonderful experience. Parish churches in the Philippines are packed with people from the first pew up to the last. Then on the eve of the 9th day, everyone makes time to hear the Christmas Eve Mass.

And of course, Christmas in the Philippines is never complete without the Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Dinner). No family member wants to miss this, ever, not only because of the great feast on the table, but also because it’s one of the few times the entire family can be together in one table, sharing the same food, sharing stories, sharing laughter.

Filipinos abroad wish to be home for Christmas to experience all these. But if they cannot, Filipinas around the world try to make their celebration of this joyous season as Filipino-like as possible. Now what exactly does this mean? Well, they at least try to attend the Midnight Mass and invite friends and family over for Noche Buena on Christmas Eve. Some of them prepare Filipino foods to make it feel like they are in the Philippines.

Anywhere in the world that celebrates Christmas, this is the season where you can afford to splurge on material things and food. Dieting at this time might seem like a big sin, and so for the weight-conscious Filipina, taking the excess pounds off becomes part of the Christmas planning, too.

If you happen to be someone not from the Philippines, knowing how do Filipino women celebrate the Christmas season will work to your advantage when you decide to visit the Philippines around Christmastime.

What Is The Filipino Culture For Weddings?

When planning to marry a Filipina, knowing what is the Filipino culture for weddings is an integral part of the planning process. Every culture is unique, and for Filipinos, theirs is something to respect and keep.

The Filipino wedding culture comes in several stages, the first of which is the wedding proposal, or in Filipino language, “Pagtatapat”. “Pagtatapat is when the man asks the girl to marry him. Wedding proposals, extravagant or not, are always unique to the couple, and more often than not, bring the woman to tears, not of pain of course, but of joy. The couple may then set a time and date to announce their engagement to their respective families.

After the wedding proposal comes the next stage, the “Pamanhikan”. This is the stage when the man, together with his family meets the family of the girl to discuss wedding preparations. The Pamanhikan is often done in the house of the woman, but if both parties agree, they can have it somewhere neutral, such as a cozy restaurant for instance.

The next stage is the Pa-alam. This is when the actual wedding planning takes place. Ideally, this should start at least 6 months before the “big day”. There are many things to plan for – invitations, entourage, gowns, church and reception, and many more, and a few weeks time to cram all these in may not be enough.

The Pa-alam stage is perhaps the most stressful part of the Filipino Culture for Weddings, and so if they’re planning a big wedding, the future bride and groom may choose to hire the services of a wedding planner to get things started and organized for them. Planning a wedding can be a very overwhelming experience, especially when the wedding involves two cultures, and a wedding planner makes less stressful for the couple, allowing them time to focus on welcoming their new life together. But of course, should the couple choose to do things their own way, they can always do so.

Filipino weddings are usually grandiose  in the sense that the wedding ceremony is conducted in a church where there is a long line of entourage composed of dozens of principal sponsors some of whom are unknown to the couple but which apparently are public figures, maid of matron of honor, groom’s men, bride’s maid, junior bride’s maids, and the flower girls.  After all have settled in their respective seats, the bride walks down the aisle in a long gown, with (or without) her father beside her.

The mass then starts, and within the mass, the exchange of vows. After the mass, a pictorial takes place inside the church itself.  The pictorial usually takes very long – sometimes as long as 30 minutes to one hour! But the guests don’t seem to mind as they will have their chance with the bride and groom towards the end of the pictorial, anyway.

The reception comes next. Some couples choose to have their wedding reception at home where the guests can be more comfortable and they can save a little more money, but others would much rather have their reception done more privately, such as in hotel or garden settings.

You might think that understanding what is the Filipino culture for weddings is no longer important these days, but that is not true at all because Filipinos, even modern Filipinos, still value the Filipino culture a lot.

What Do Filipinas Love In A Man

Increasing your chances of a romance with a Filipina begins with an understanding of what do Filipinas love in a man. Now why is this so? Because first impressions are very important, and you would certainly want her first impressions of you to be good, would you not?

So what do Filipinas love in a man? Filipinas have varied tastes, mind you, but generally …

  • A Filipina woman loves a gentleman. Exactly what does this mean? A gentleman is respectful, in words and in actions. He is someone who has good manners, someone who does not curse or use bad words. He is the type who opens the door for a woman, who helps a woman carry her stuff, who stays by her side when crossing the street. It might seem old-fashioned, yes; after all, we are already in this world of gender sensitivity, where women don’t have to be made to look like the weaker sex. But the truth is that women, generally, will still go for this type of man. Make sure, you don’t overdo it, though, because trying too hard to be a gentleman when it is not in your nature to begin with will backfire on you eventually.
  • A Filipina woman loves a man who is on time. Although Filipinos are used to the “Filipino time”, when it comes to dating, the guy shouldn’t come in later than the woman. Filipino women know there aren’t too many reasons why a guy should come in late for a date.
  • A Filipina woman loves to be down-to-earth. Filipina girls are simple people who love good company. Don’t put on pretenses. Filipina women are more comfortable with men who can make them laugh, who are easy to get along with, and who think that life is a lot of fun and meant to be enjoyed.
  • A Filipina woman loves surprises. They don’t have to anything grand at all. If a bouquet of flower is not within your budget, find other ways you can surprise her. For instance, send her beautiful messages through text, email, or through the more traditional (but heartwarming) way – the post office.

The physical attributes are really not that important to Filipino women, but at any rate, it should work to your advantage to look like you’ve taken an effort with yourself. I’m not talking here about buying expensive clothes; what’s important is that you look clean and smell clean, especially when meeting a Filipina for the first time. If you can afford to buy a new outfit, go ahead; otherwise throw in something that does not look worn out but well-ironed. If you’re going on a date for the first time, spend some time to freshen yourself up. Shave if necessary, and splash on some light perfume, preferably one that has a clean and fresh scent.

Beyond understanding what do Filipinas love in a man is the need to carry on these tips to get yourself closer and closer to the heart of a Filipina.

What Are Filipinas Like?

One of the questions you will ask yourself when considering a trip to the Philippines is “what are Filipinas like?” it is always wise to equip yourself with enough knowledge of the culture, the people, hot spots, food, and so on, of a particular location before actually going there. Not only will this save you a lot of time, it will make your trip less stressful, too, not to mention, more exciting.

Filipino women are known for many things. Let’s start with the physical aspects of a Filipino woman. If you are going to search through Philippine tourist blogs and Asian dating sites, you will see that there are physical features distinct to Filipino women – i.e. short stature, chinita eyes, flat nose, morena complexion. But the real beauty of a Filipina lies within.

Filipino women are among the most caring people in the world. If you’re looking for some tender loving care, you’ll find it in the hands of a Filipina. Indeed, if you decide to marry a Filipina, you can be almost certain that your everyday needs will be taken cared of – from your morning coffee to your vitamins, to practically anything.

Filipino women are gentle beings, but they are strong-willed.  They have very strong principles when it comes to almost everything. You might have thought that with their frail exterior they can be easily taken advantage of, but don’t be fooled. They are very tough inside and they can weather practically any storm that comes their way.

Filipino women are intelligent. Many of them excel academically while others are what you might consider as “street-smart”. Many women can speak very good English. From the way they speak, you might think that English is their second language. So if you are from an English-speaking country you will not have any trouble communicating with a Filipina at all. That’s really one problem off your back as you will not have to go through so much trouble learning the Filipino language, although of course being able to speak some Filipino words can work to your advantage. Filipinas find it really cute when foreign make an effort to say “Kumusta kayo?” (How are you?) or “Mahal ko kayo” (I love you).

Filipinas are a joy to be with. They have a happy disposition which radiates to people they’re with. When they laugh, they do it with their whole heart, and you who are around a Filipina will have to laugh along even though you don’t really understand what’s funny.

I wouldn’t say exactly that days when Filipina women are too conservative they wouldn’t even talk to a stranger, more so if the stranger is from a foreign country are long gone. But Filipinas have indeed evolved into friendlier beings. They have become more open to relationships and friendship with foreigners. But of course it’s one thing to befriend and Filipina and then expect her to become intimate with you in so short a time. Many Filipinas, while not conservative anymore, are still not that aggressive. If they will engage in an intimate relationship it is usually after getting to know the other party well enough.

Getting to know a Filipina is not difficult. Now that you have some ideas of what are Filipinas like, you can now start the first steps to befriending one.

What Are Filipino Women Like?

Understanding what are Filipino women like is very important if you are planning a trip to the Philippines or simply desiring to increase your network of friends to include Filipinos. Filipinos, the women especially, are an interesting lot. They have plenty to offer behind the “morena complexion” and “chinita eyes” they are known for.

Here for real love.

So what are Filipino , women like? Well, it depends on where they are born or raised. Scores of years ago, there is not much distinction between Filipino girls from the provinces and those from the mega cities. They were (or most of them, that is) described to be reserved, shy, and conservative. But city girls nowadays have become liberated, pretty much like those girls in Western countries. You can see it in the way they dress (fashionable, chic, and trendy) and the way they carry themselves (confident, sure of themselves).

Meet Filipina women from the Philippines at www.filipinakisses.com.

The modern Filipinas, especially those from the city areas are not afraid to speak their mind. They are well-educated which partly explains why they are good communicators, in speech and in writing. They have the ability to speak English well, way better than those from the neighboring countries. Contributing to this ability is the fact that the Philippines was for a time been under American influence.

Filipinos from the provinces are more laid-back in almost all aspects. But it does not mean that they are less interesting. If Filipino women from the big cities will entertain you by taking you to bars and their glitzy night life, Filipino women from the province will take you to see their lakes, beaches, gardens, markets, old churches, and everything else that will make you feel you are in the Philippines. In the province you’ll be closer to nature, and with a Filipina as your guide, you’ll love it even more.

Meet Filipina women from the Philippines at www.filipinakisses.com.

Filipino women (both from the city and the province) are generally hospitable. They will make you feel welcome in the best way they can. They’ll go the extra mile to attend to your needs, even though that means more inconvenience on their part. But you are not to abuse this hospitality one bit nor are you to think that their being so suggests that they are opening up to you, that they are interested in you. Their attending to your needs is part of their nature; it does not mean anything.

If you want to go into an intimate relationship with a Filipina you need to work hard on it rather than take advantage of her hospitality. Winning her heart can be a challenging experience and one thing you should never do is to play around with her feelings. To a Filipina, foreign men can’t be all that serious, and you have to prove her wrong. Make her feel that she’s the only “apple in your eyes”. Pamper her, make her feel like a queen, and most importantly, respect her. Respect her views, her religion, her family, her very self because these are important to her.

All these things that describe what are Filipino women like, you must keep in mind if you are serious of befriending a Filipina and eventually marrying her.

Why Filipinas Make The Best Wives

If you are exploring your options when it comes to marriage, one thing you will want to discover for yourself is why Filipinas make the best wives. You are considering, among several other Asian women, perhaps, a Filipina for a wife, and you want to be sure with your choice as there is no more turning back once you have made a decision. Marriage, for you, is a lifetime commitment, after all.

Meet Filipina women from the Philippines at www.filipinakisses.com.

Why have a Filipina for a wife? Well, for one thing, Filipinas know how to speak English. Some of them may not be fluent speakers of English but they can manage to bring their message across, breaking down communication barriers. Communication is very important in any relationship, but most especially in cross-cultural relationships. Marriage itself is a crisis situation and you would not want to make your adjustment more difficult than it already is. You’d certainly be glad to have the communication problem off your back, and with a Filipina wife, you might just be able to keep it off, after all.

Aside from the fact that Filipino women can speak English (and do it pretty well), carrying on a conversation with them can both be fun and inspiring. Filipino women are easy to talk to and get along with. A Filipina can make you feel so at ease it’s as if you’ve known each other for years, and this is very important in marriage. As you know, life isn’t always a bed of roses, and you’ll definitely want someone you can share your troubles with, someone who can pull you back on earth when you are going out of reality, someone who can  dream with you and help you reach your dreams, someone who will stand by you for better and for worse. So besides the spark and the passion, you have to work on being comfortable with each other, to be friends with each other, so to speak, in order to make your relationship work and your marriage last a lifetime.

Meet Filipina women from the Philippines at www.filipinakisses.com.

Generally, Filipino women are known to be hospitable, too, which can mean several things, such as that they have a loving nature and a caring quality. It’s precisely because of these qualities that Filipino women are hailed in their home country and abroad. With a Filipina caring for you, you will not go hungry. With love, she will prepare your morning coffee and breakfast, tend to your home, and your children while you are at work. Filipino women make good household managers. They have the ability to organize stuff and their time so as to be able to get as many things done as possible. If you are looking for someone who can love you “till death do you part” and who can take care of you even in your old age, set your sights on a Filipino woman because that someone can only come from the Philippines.

Physically, Filipina women are fairly attractive. They are blessed with appealing “chinita eyes” and tanned complexion that the “whites” are so envious of and men scampering to justify why indeed Filipinas make the best wives.

What is the Filipino Culture for Dating and Courtship

Learn More About Filipino Dating and Courtship

Lots of people on the net have the same troublesome experiences when they simply want to learn more about something like dating Filipino women. Most do not consider the time to look deeper in the search results, and they often lose out on what they need. Avoid feeling like it is something that only happens to you since it is not. As a result of our own Filipino women research, this is what we can tell you. You will be in a greater position once you finish reading the following.

What is the Filipino culture for dating? Like most Asian, Filipinos are still conservative by nature. When you court a Filipina (usual term used for a Filipino woman), you need to court her entire family and her entire family consists of father, mother, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, grandpas, and all other relatives who might be living in her house or within the neighborhood. Most Filipinas are obedient daughters, and whomever their families want for them, they can never refuse. If you are serious in wooing a Filipina, then the best way to do it is court her family first.

Meet Filipina women from the Philippines at www.filipinakisses.com.

During courtship, you need to show your good sides and try to win the favor of most family members most especially the grandma if she is still well enough to receive your presence. The mother comes next or in some situations, the father. The moment you have able to get the approval of the family, you can finally get to dating phase. There are modern Filipina women, but the traditional Filipinas are still the best and those are the ones that have chaperone during dates. A traditional Filipina is shy, gentle, sweet, and reserve. She is not some wild and lewd woman, but she can have claws from time to time when she needs to defend herself.

Dating a Filipina woman can be a refreshing change. During this phase, you will be able to know her pretty well to consider things – whether to leave her for another or continue pursuing her. Some families may demand something, but those were just whims and should not be considered as “extortion” (although you must beware because possibilities are still there). During dating phase, families might try to invite you to their family gatherings, and introduce you to other members of the clan. If such time arrived, then you could be sure that the family has already considered you for their daughter.

But hold in mind as it concerns Filipina women that you have to realize what you are doing. It is easier than you think to read a specific thing that looks good, but it can be outdated. Although we do believe most content writers have totally genuine goals when they write. There is much more available as you will discover in just a minute.