|
Before
it carried the name Leyte, the
early Filipino inhabitants called
it Tandaya, which was
later renamed Felipina by
Ruy Lopez de Villalobos after
Prince Philip of Spain.
Waray and Cebuano are the local dialects in Leyte. Its mountainous
topography has divided the
province into east and west and
thus has created a difference in
the people’s culture. The
Warays have traits of being bold
and aggressive, savage and more
carefree than other Visayans.
However, Cebuano is the
predominant vernacular.
Leytenos
share the passion of the
Filipinos’ love for music and
dance. Many of the country’s
traditional musical instruments
such as Kuryapi, Lantug,
Subing, Guimbal, Agung, Gurimaw
and Karatung served as their
customary musical gadgets. They
also greatly utilize the bandurria,
a Spanish musical instrument.
The popular rondallas,
which is a string orchestra
constituted of guitars,
bandurrias and mandolins are
Leytenos’ specialty.
Leyte
has many historical landmarks
that never fail to entice and
amaze tourists who visit the
province. One of which is the Sto.
Nino Church where the mysterious
image of the Child Jesus is being
housed. There is the Sto. Nińo
Shrine and Heritage Museum where
one can find Fernando
Amorsolo’s paintings of The
Holy Child and the 14 Stations of
the Cross. The province also has
a shrine built to commemorate the
landing of American Gen. Douglas
McArthur in Red Beach Palo, Leyte.
For
a province so bounded by water,
it is a given fact that one can
find a number of resorts; some of
which are: Mitz
Beach Resort, Sabin
Resort Hotel,
Mac
Arthur Park Beach Resort
and Vic-Mar
Beach Resort.
There
are also a number of hotels open
to welcome any visitors. Some
are:
Hotel
Don Felipe, Tacloban
Plaza Hotel, Ormoc
Villa Hotel, Primrose
Hotel and
The
Leyte Park Resort Hotel.
PAL travels daily from Manila to Tacloban (provincial
capital) and Tacloban to Cebu.
Aboitiz shipping line provides
trips to Leyte from Manila and
Cebu.
|
