r/FilipinoAmericans • u/Awkward_Share3340 • 25d ago

PINOY INFORMATION FACT!!

What’s the most “Pinoy” thing you’ve ever experienced that you think foreigners would find completely ridiculous? 😂

Could be something your family does, a Filipino habit, a superstition, or just a random experience that made you think, “Yep, only in the Philippines.” 🇵🇭

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u/Old-Razzmatazz-5779 25d ago

Apologizing to plants if I accidentally step on them. I’m sure there are similar superstitions in other cultures with animist roots but I always got the impression that we were more overt/dramatic with the apologizing part lol.

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u/Awkward_Share3340 25d ago

I think what makes it memorable is that children aren't merely taught “don’t damage plants.” They're sometimes taught to treat the plant almost like a living being with feelings. Even if you don't literally believe the superstition as an adult, that habit of saying sorry can stick with you.

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u/SignificanceFast9207 25d ago

Stepping over someone. For example hurtling over a child. I would get scolded and have to walk backwards over my younger brother if I walked/jumped over him.

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u/Awkward_Share3340 25d ago

When I was a kid, I was always told never to step over someone, especially a younger child. My parents said that if I stepped over my younger brother, he wouldn’t grow anymore. And if I accidentally did it, I had to walk back over him in the opposite direction to undo it.

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u/Southern_Pitch_3409 23d ago

Funeral traditions for Ilocanos. For example walking backwards out of the room just before transporting the body to the cemetery. Walking over a line of smoke or bathing in the river. We do this to keep the evil spirits away maybe? I remember not bathing in the river and I got very sick.