Birthday card frem Asia

I promise I'm not going to put all of my birthday cards here but I couln't help myself with this one. I was sent by Anne from the Phillipines and I really love it. Card is printed on recycled paper and contains very warm and sweet wishes.

Islam in the Philippines

Islam is the oldest monoteistic religion recorded in the Phillipines. First mosques were built there in 14th century. Right now Muslims are 5-9% of the population of the country. They dominate the Autonomus Region in Muslim Mindanao who was traditional homeland for Muslims since the 15th century. That beautiful postcard recived through private swap shows one of the mosques. It's such a beautiful view!

Pandanggo sa Ilaw

Pandanggo sa Ilaw is folk dance from the Philippines. It have orginated from the island Mindoro, Philippines. Dancers have to balance 3 oil lamps called tinghoy- on the head and back of their palms.The lights of the lamps are said to represent fireflies that are fluttering in the night. Girl who sent it to me used to dance it when she was a kid :)

Postcard from Anne

Philippines

Have I already said that I love private swaps? ;) I've got this postcard (and two others) from the Philippines for helping Anna with her University Postcards Collection. I'm really happy and I hope my postcards will get there soon too. Tonight the first of the postcards.

That postcard makes me think about the possibilities that lies in human hands... Banaue Rice Terraces (Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banawe in Tagalog) are the tarracess that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao over 2000 years ago by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Terracess are being called the 8th Wonder of the World. The most amazing fact about them it's that they cover over 10 000 square kilometers and there were built mainly by hand! The back of the postcard claims that steps put end to end would encircle half of the globe. According to Wikipedia traditional farming is still practiced there (rice and vegetables)
The Terraces require a lot of constant care especially because of the climate changes, especially droughts. 
Banaue Rice Terraces are a part of the Philippine Cordilleras Rice Terraces but they are not listed on UNESCO World Heritage Site due to  the presence of many modern structures. They are however considered as the National Cultural Treasure
More information here