PHILIPPINES BRINGS THE POWER AND GRACE OF ARNIS TO 2025 ASEAN CULTURE DAY CELEBRATION

PRESS RELEASE
WDC-73-2025

31 October 2025

Embassy Press and Information Section

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The ASEAN Spouses Circle of Washington, D.C. (ASC-DC) highlighted the vibrant and diverse cultural heritage of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at this year’s ASEAN Culture Day: Community in Celebration on 29 October 2025 at the Embassy of Malaysia.

The event was well attended by members of the diplomatic corps, cultural partners, and the general public to experience a colorful showcase of flavors, performances, artistic expressions from across Southeast Asia.

An annual tradition, ASEAN Culture Day celebrates the shared heritage, creativity, and community spirit of the now eleven ASEAN member countries, with Timor-Leste formally joining the ASEAN ranks on 26 October 2025. This year’s theme, Community in Celebration, pays tribute to the region’s festive traditions through captivating cultural performances, traditional attire, and interactive cultural displays that offer guests a glimpse into the warmth and diversity of Southeast Asia.

Performing onstage for the Philippines, representatives from the Pinakatay Arnis Sigidas Filipino Martial Art School demonstrated the Filipino national sport Arnis or also known as Kali or Escrima. The performance exhibited the discipline’s graceful yet powerful movements, bringing attention to the martial art’s balance for offensive and defensive tactics, as well as its rhythmic yet practical motion.

Off stage, the Philippine booth not only displayed traditional Filipino decor and materials, but also featured a training dummy and arnis training weapons allowing guests to personally assess their own martial prowess while learning from the master and students of Pinakatay Arnis Sigidas.

Rooted in indigenous Filipino heritage, Arnis embodies the nation’s spirit of adaptability, discipline, and resilience. Officially declared the national martial art and sport of the Philippines in 2009, it continues to thrive both as a means of self-defense and as a living expression of Filipino identity. Today, arnis serves as a bridge of cultural diplomacy, practiced globally in tournaments, workshops, and even military training programs.

The ASEAN Spouses Circle DC (ASC-DC) is an independent organization that complements the work of the ASEAN Committee in Washington, D.C. (ACW). Its mission is to foster ASEAN identity, strengthen solidarity among its members, and promote mutual understanding between ASEAN and the American people through cultural and socio-development initiatives.

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