Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal Showcases Philippine Culture in University of Lisbon’s Annual Southeast Asian Day Festival

08 May 2024 - The Philippine Embassy in Portugal, together with the Embassies of Indonesia and Thailand, participated in the annual Southeast Asian Day organized by the Asian Studies League of the University of Lisbon on 07 May 2024.

For this year's participation, the Philippine Embassy curated a series of engaging activities to share the best of the Philippines. The full-day program began with a Filipino language class, where students learned basic phrases, greetings, and expressions followed by a cooking demonstration showcasing the iconic Filipino dish, Adobo, and a lecture on Philippine culture to provide further knowledge and appreciation of the rich and diverse traditions of the Philippines.

The Philippine booth, decorated with colorful displays depicting breathtaking landscapes and colorful festivities,  served as an immersive learning space for students to explore the best of the Philippines.

Students also enjoyed playing traditional Philippine board games, Sungka and Dama. They had the chance to savor delicious meals prepared by food entrepreneurs from the Filipino community including A Diplomata, Mamita’s Kitchen, and D&L Store.

The culmination of the whole day event ended with a fashion show and dance performance from the three Southeast Asian countries. Student members of the Asian Studies League performed a rendition of Pandanggo sa Ilaw and paraded through the faculty halls donning Filipiniana costumes.

The Philippines’ annual participation in the Southeast Asian Day Festival, organized  by the Asian Studies League, is one of the student-led events participated by the Philippine Embassy in raising awareness of the Philippines among young Portuguese students by enriching their understanding and appreciation of Philippine culture thereby fostering deeper people-to-people linkages between Filipinos and Portuguese.