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Showing posts with the label religions

The Indonesian Song Tolu Sahundulan

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While I was looking for Taiwanese tribal dances and Filipino tribal dances--I got this in my recommendations. I hardly knew anything about Indonesia then I got introduced to this cool old song. There are words similar to that found in Mindanao. After all, the language here is the Sinama language. Once again, I'm convinced that Dayang Dayang's origins will be much harder to find. I wrote about the curious case of Dayang Dayang . If I'm not wrong, the popularized version of Dayang Dayang is written in the Sinama language. Some people from the Bangsamoro claim that the song is theirs. Others claim that it's from Indonesia or Malaysia. Since I'm no linguist, I really can't really figure things out. The traditional outfits of Indonesia and Malaysia really match that of the Muslim regions of the Philippines.  It's not surprising that Tealive has opened in Indonesia as well . Culturally, Indonesia and Malaysia are very alike aside from being Muslim countries. Hopef...

The Curious Case of Dayang Dayang, Not Dayang Daya

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I remembered the song "Dayang Dayang" which had a parody cover called "Dayang Daya". Some people wondered if it was from India. Some say it was a Muslim song which makes more sense. It's because the beats almost sound like one from Filipino Muslim dances. Granted, a lot of Filipinos descended from either Malaysian or Indonesian settlers then it would make sense if Dayang Dayang is danced to the Pakiring. The song I just share comes from an Indonesian singer who probably popularized the song.  Many words from the Filipino language match up with Malaysian language or Indonesian language. The Filipino word for help (tulong) is tolong in Indonesian and Malaysian. The Malaysian (or Indonesian) term Dayang is said to mean a noble lady. It would make sense of the song "Dayang Dayang" would've come from Indonesia, Malaysia, or from Mindanao in the Philippines.  This was the most common version heard. I think the video maker wrongly attributed it to Bollywo...

Cultural Oddity: When Chinese Buddhists Leave Indian Culture Behind

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Did you know Buddhism came from India instead of China? Notice the names in Buddhism such as Avalokitesvara, Samantabhadra, Ksitigarbha, and Manjushri, and the founder's name is Siddhartha Gautama. Those are obviously very Indian names, aren't they? Yet, it seems that Buddhism has left Indian culture behind in India. In Hinduism, Gautama Buddha is considered one of Vishnu's ten avatars. A TV series known as Buddha by ZEE TV was created. The cast met with the 14th Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Rinpoche, who is often nicknamed the Buddhist Pope. The TV series was also dubbed in Mandarin. Yet, what amazes me is that Buddhists tend to abandon Indian culture behind.  The very evidence can be seen in how Buddhist temples are designed by Chinese Buddhists. Rather than designing them like Hindu temples--they're designed to look like Taoist temples. I find it not surprising how many Taoist temples in Cebu are mistakenly labeled as Buddhist temples. Some tend to think that Buddhism and Taoi...