Discovery Series Ornament – Manila
The Starbucks Discovery Series Ornament Manila takes a slightly different approach from many of the other city ornaments, focusing less on major monuments and more on everyday culture, entertainment, transportation, and life around Manila Bay. Manila has served as the political and commercial heart of the Philippines for centuries, growing from a fortified Spanish colonial city into the center of a vast modern metropolis. Its long history, busy waterfront, colorful public transportation, and influential music and film industries all find a place in this compact design.
Here are some of the traditions and symbols featured on the ornament:
– The vintage film camera points to Manila’s important role in Philippine cinema. The capital has long been the center of the country’s film industry, home to production companies, theaters, studios, festivals, and generations of actors and filmmakers. Cinema remains an important part of Filipino popular culture.
– The vinyl records and music continue the entertainment theme. Manila has a rich musical culture ranging from traditional Filipino songs to rock, pop, jazz, and the hugely popular Original Pilipino Music, or OPM. Record stores, live venues, and music bars have all played a part in the city’s cultural scene.
– Manila Bay stretches along the western edge of the city and remains one of its defining geographical features. The bay has served as a harbor and trade route for centuries and is particularly famous for its sunsets. Boats moving across the water remain a familiar part of the broad coastal view.
– The small boats and ferries recall Manila’s relationship with water transportation. Manila Bay and the nearby Pasig River have historically connected communities, ports, and commercial areas, while ferries still offer another way to move through parts of the metropolitan region.
– The traditional kalesa is a horse-drawn carriage introduced during the Spanish colonial period. Once an everyday means of transportation, it is now most commonly encountered around historic areas such as Intramuros. Its old-fashioned appearance makes it an especially fitting reminder of an earlier Manila.
– The turon is a popular Filipino snack made by wrapping slices of banana, usually saba, in a thin spring-roll wrapper with sugar and then frying it until crisp and caramelized. Some versions also include jackfruit. It is a common street food and merienda snack throughout the Philippines, making it a very fitting everyday food reference for Manila.
