The Customs and Traditions of the Philippines are strongly influenced by its colonized past. The Spanish colonization of the Philippines, in fact governed from Mexico, lasted for more than 350 years, thus there is an important presence of Spanish influence in many aspect of the Philippine culture. The Filipino language, more commonly known as Tagalog, have many borrowed Spanish words. Filipinos are religious in nature; most of the present celebrated traditions are a mix of Christian, Pagan and other local religious rites. As an example, each year, towns from around the country hold chief festivities known as Fiesta which celebrate the patron saints of each town, villages or regional districts. The festival season is celebrated with church ceremonies, street parades in honor of the patron saints, fireworks, and beauty and dance contests for generations of old and new, and in some areas there are even cockfighting tournaments. These Fiestas are also observed in countries that had a Spanish occupational past. The Southern island of the country where the majority of the Islam faith exist in also celebrate their own unique customs and traditions.