During CNY, Filipinos say congratulations messages “Kong Hei Fat Choy” to the Chinese community

The Philippine culture and customs are deeply influenced by the Chinese group, and even the Lunar New Year is no exception. Many presidents of the Philippines have set the Chinese New Year Festival as a holiday, enabling Filipinos and Chinese to celebrate the festival together.

President Duterte also announced in 2018 that the Chinese New Year Festival is one of 17 national holidays in the Philippines. It is common to see Filipinos saying congratulations messages “Kong Hei Fat Choy” in a friendly tone of voice to the Chinese community.

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President Duterte declared Chinese New Year a special holiday in 2018. (Photo / Retrieved from the Facebook: Duterte)

The Philippines is geographically close to China, and the exchanges between the people of the two places can be traced back to more than 2,000 years ago. Therefore, there are many Chinese who have crossed the sea and settled in the Philippines. In the daily life of the Filipinos, traces of Chinese culture can be seen everywhere. As the most important festival for the Chinese, the vibes of the Chinese New Year Festival thus have profoundly influenced the community. As for what is "Kong Hei Fat Choy"? This is not Filipino, but the Cantonese pronunciation of "Gong Xi Fa Cai (恭喜發財)".

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Most of the Filipinos are Catholics, but they are not against visiting Chinese temples during CNY. (Photo / Retrieved from Pixabay)

In addition, most of the Filipinos are Catholics, but they are not against visiting Chinese temples during the Spring Festival, and some of them even pray for blessings by burning the joss sticks. Religious tolerance is the reason why the Filipino and Chinese groups can live in harmony.