Today marks the 125th Independence Day in the Philippines. A celebration was held on Saturday at the Morden Access Event Centre to recognize this milestone.
Jewel White is a member of the Filipino community and one of the organizers of the event.
"This is the second year we celebrated the Independence Day of the Philippines. This year is the 125th Independence Day of the Philippines from Spain. It was 125 years ago when our first Philippine flag was waved, signifying the independence of Filipinos from the colonization of the Spanish rule."
White described the night and outlined the importance of the day.
"What you see today, there's a lot of members of the Filipino community who showed up and had fun, and then there's a history lesson. It's good for the younger generation to see the history of what happened so they never forget."
A living diorama was facilitated by the youth and people of all ages took part in making the celebration fun.
"There's a lot of dancing. There's also a lot of singing. Filipinos are very talented. There's always a Filipino and every talent show, even the kids are dancing. It's a lot of involvement when it comes to showing what the culture is back home, how we play for example, and how we dance. So, it was really very fun to see."
The following video content and gallery pics from 5-13 were submitted by D Light Catcher of Morden Through the Lens
While the local Filipino community celebrated here in Canada, their new home, White shared what is happening back in the Philippines.
"There's a lot of celebrations there too. Almost every province holds a celebration and the whole country has a celebration. There's always a reminder we will never forget. It's always something we celebrate."
