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Christmas
in the Philippines), one of two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia (the
other one being East Timor), is one of the biggest holidays in the archipelago.
The country has earned the distinction of celebrating the world's longest
Christmas season, with Christmas carols heard as early as September and lasting
until Epiphany, the feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9 or the Feast of
the Santo Niño de Cebú on the third Sunday of January. The official observance
is from 16 December with the beginning of the Simbang Gabi to Epiphany.
Christmas
parties
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Simbang Gabi/Misa de Gallo
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Simbang
Gabi (Filipino: Night Mass; Spanish: Misa de Gallo, "Rooster's Mass")
is a novena of dawn Masses from 16 December to Christmas Eve. The Simbang Gabi
is practised mainly by Catholic and Aglipayans, with some Evangelical Christian
and independent Protestant churches having adopted the practise of having
pre-Christmas dawn services. Attending the Masses is meant to show devotion to
God and heightened anticipation for Christ's birth, and folk belief holds that
God grants the special wish of a devotee that hears all nine Masses.
Morning
observance of Simbang Gabi begins as early as 03:00 PST, while in some
parishes, anticipated Masses begin the previous evening at 20:00 PST. After
hearing Mass, Catholic families buy traditional Filipino holiday fare for
breakfast outside the church and eat it either within the church precincts or
at home. Vendors offer many native delicacies, including bibingka (rice flour
and egg-based cake, cooked using coal burners above and under); putò bumbóng (a
purple, sticky rice delicacy steamed in bamboo tubes, buttered then sprinkled
with brown sugar and shredded dried coconut meat). Drinks include coffee,
salabát (a ginger tisane) and tsokoláte (thick, Spanish-style hot chocolate).
Some Aglipayan churches invite the congregation to partake of the
"paínit" (literally, "heater"), a post-Mass snack of mostly
rice pastries served with coffee or cocoa at the house of the Mass sponsor.
Christmas Eve
For
Filipinos, Christmas Eve ("Bisperas ng Pasko") on 24 December is
celebrated with the Midnight Mass, and the traditional Noche Buena feast.
Family members dine together at around midnight on traditional yuletide fare,
which includes: queso de bola (Spanish: "ball of cheese", which is Edam
cheese) sealed with red wax; tsokoláte, pasta, fruit salad, pandesal, relleno
and hamón (Christmas ham). Some families would also open presents at this time.
Panunulúyan
In
different provinces and schools, the journey of Joseph and the pregnant Virgin
Mary in search of lodging is re-enacted. The pageant, traditionally called the
"Panunulúyan", "Pananawágan", or "Pananapátan",
is modelled after the Spanish Las Posadas.
The
Panunulúyan is performed after dark, with the actors portraying Joseph and the
Virgin Mary going to pre-designated houses. They perform a chant meant to rouse
the "owners of the house" (also actors) to request for lodging. The
owners then cruelly turn them away, sometimes also in song, saying that their
house is already filled with other guests. Finally, Joseph and Mary make their
way to the parish church where a replica of the stable has been set up. The
birth of Jesus is celebrated at midnight with the Misa de Gallo.
Christmas Day
Christmas
Day in The Philippines is primarily a family affair. The Misa de Aguinaldo is
celebrated on December 25 and is usually attended by the whole family. It is
the main means of celebrating Jesus Christ's birth for Catholics and
Aglipayans.
The
Misa de Aguinaldo is often celebrated between 10 pm and midnight, a schedule preferred
by many Filipinos who stay up late on Christmas Eve for the night-long
celebration of the Noche Buena.
Preferably
in the morning, Filipinos typically visit members of the extended family,
especially to pay respects to their elders. This custom of giving respect has
been an age-old tradition in the Philippines called "Pagmamáno",
which is done by bringing the elder's hand to one's forehead, while saying the
phrase Máno Pô (lit. "Hand, please"). The elder then blesses the person
who has given their respect, and in return gives "Aguinaldo", or
money in the form of crisp, fresh-from-the-bank bills is given after the
Pagmamano, mostly to younger children. Godparents are especially socially
obligated to give presents or Aguinaldo to their godchildren.
A
Christmas Lunch usually follows after the "Pagmamano". The menu is
heavily dependent upon the finances of the family, with richer families
preparing grand feasts, while poorer families choose to cook simple yet special
dishes. Some families choose to open presents on this day after the lunch.
When
nighttime falls, members of the family usually return home or linger to drink,
or playing parlor games and Disco Party. Some may opt to have another feast for
dinner. Some families spend the entire day at home to rest after the previous
days' festivities.
Niños Inocentes
Holy
Innocents' Day or Childermas is commemorated on 28 December as Niños Inocentes.
Filipinos once celebrated the day by playing practical jokes on one another,
similar to April Fool's Day.[2] One of the widely practised pranks on this day
is to borrow money without the intention of paying back. Creditors are usually
helpless in getting remuneration from borrower, and are instead forewarned not
to lend money on this day. Victims of such pranks were once called out,
"Na-Niños Inocentes ka!"
New Year's Eve
On
31 December 31 ("Bisperas ng Bagong Taon"), Filipino families gather
for the Media Noche – a midnight feast that also supposedly symbolises their
hopes for prosperity in the coming year.
Filipinos
make noise both to greet the New Year and in the belief that the din casts out
malevolent spirits. In spite of the yearly ban, people in most towns and cities
light firecrackers, with safer methods of merrymaking being banging on pots and
pans and blowing car horns. Other traditions and beliefs include encouraging
children to jump at the stroke of midnight to increase their height; displaying
circular fruit; wearing clothes with dots and other circular designs to
symbolise money; eating twelve grapes at midnight for good luck in the twelve
months of the year, and opening all windows and doors on New Year's Day to let
in blessings.
Three Kings' Day
Christmas
officially ends on Epiphany Day, more commonly known as Three Kings' Day
(Spanish: Día de los Tres Reyes; Tagalog: Araw ng Tatlóng mga Harì). Three
Kings' was once observed on 6 January (Twelfth Night) but is now held on the
first Sunday after New Year's Day. A dying practice is the Hispanic custom of
having children leave their shoes out by the window, so that the Three Kings
can leave gifts like candy or money inside.
Feast of the
Black Nazarene
Since
2011, the Catholic Church mandated that the season end on the Feast of the
Baptism of Jesus, held on either the Monday after Epiphany or the second Sunday
of the year. Final festivities are held on 8 and 9 January with processions of
the miraculous Black Nazarene in Manila and Cagayan de Oro. These are in honour
of the image's 1787 traslación (transfer) to its present shrine in its basilica
in Quiapo District, which was then a separate town.
Feast of the
Santo Niño
The
latest possible celebrations are on Feast of the Santo Niño (Christ Child)
every third Sunday of January. The image most associated with this day is the
purportedly miraculous Santo Niño de Cebú, the first Christian icon brought to
the islands. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan came to Cebú and gave the image as a
gift to Humamay, the chief wife of the local monarch, Raja Humabon, when the
royal couple and their subjects were christened.
Decorations
Due
to Americanisation, decorations such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, tinsel,
faux evergreens, reindeer, and snow have become popular. Christmas lights are
strung about in festoons, as the tail of the Star of Bethlehem in Belens, star
shapes, Christmas trees, angels, and in a large variety of other ways, going as
far as draping the whole outside of the house in lights. Despite these, the
Philippines still retains its traditional decorations.
Parol
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Every
Christmas season, Filipino homes and buildings are adorned with beautiful
star-shaped lanterns, called paról from the Spanish farol, meaning
"lantern" or "lamp".[3] These lanterns represent the Star
of Bethlehem that guided the Magi, also known as the Three Kings (Tagalog:
Tatlóng Harì). Parol are as beloved and iconic to Filipinos as Christmas trees
are to Westerners.
The
most common form of the lantern is a 5-pointed star with two "tails"
at the lower two tips. Other popular variations are four, eight, and
ten-pointed stars, while rarer ones sport six, seven, nine, and more than
twelve points. The earliest parols were made from simple materials like bamboo,
Japanese rice paper (known as "papél de Hapón") or crêpe paper, and
were lit by a candle or coconut oil lamp. Simple parols can be easily constructed
with just ten bamboo sticks, paper, and glue. Present-day parol has endless
possible shapes and forms and is made of a variety of materials, such as
cellophane, plastic, rope, capiz shell, glass, and even recycled refuse.
Parol-making is a folk craft, and many Filipino children often craft them as a
school project or for leisure.
The
Giant Lantern Festival is an annual festival held the Saturday before Christmas
Eve in the San Fernando City, Pampanga. The festival features a competition of
giant lanterns, and the popularity of the festival, has earned the city the
moniker, "Christmas Capital of the Philippines".
Belén
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Another
traditional Filipino Christmas symbol is the belén—a creche or tableau
depicting the Birth of Christ. Derived from the Spanish name for Bethlehem,
Belén, it depicts the infant Jesus in the manger, surrounded by the Virgin
Mary, St. Joseph, the shepherds, their flock, the Magi and some stable animals,
and is surmounted by an angel, the Star or both.
Belén
can be seen in homes, churches, schools and even office buildings; the ones on
office buildings can be extravagant, using different materials for the figures
and using Christmas lights, parols for the Star, and painted background
scenery. A notable outdoor belén in Metro Manila is the one that used to be at
the COD building in Cubao, Quezon City. In 2003, the belén was transferred to
the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan when the COD building closed down.
This belén is a lights and sounds presentation, the story being narrated over
speakers set up and most probably using automatons to make the figures move up
and down, or turn, etc. Each year, the company owning it changes the theme from
the Nativity Story, with variations such as a fairground story, and Santa
Claus' journey.
Tarlac
City, Tarlac is known as the Belén Capital of the Philippines holds the annual
"Belenísmo sa Tarlac". It is a belén-making contest which is
participated by establishments and residents in Tarlac. Giant versions of the
belén with different themes are displayed in front of the establishments and
roads of Tarlac for the entire season.
Caroling
In
the Philippines, children in small groups go from house to house singing
Christmas carols, which they called pangangaroling. Makeshift instruments
include tambourines made with tansans (aluminum bottle caps) strung on a piece
of wire. With the traditional chant of "Namamasko po!", these
carolers wait expectantly for the homeowners to reward them with coins.
Afterward, the carolers thank the generous homeowners by singing "Thank
you, thank you, ang babait ninyo (you are so kind), thank you!"
An
example of a traditional Filipino carol is a part of series known as
"Maligayang Pasko", which was commonly called as "Sa maybahay
ang aming bati":
Maligayang
Pasko (Tagalog)
Sa
maybahay, ang aming bati:
"Merry
Christmas na maluwalhati!"
Ang
pag-ibig, 'pag siyang naghari
Araw-araw
ay magiging Pasko lagi!!
Koro:
Ang
sanhi po, ng pagparito,
Ay
hihingi po ng aguinaldo.
Kung
sakaling, kami'y perwisyo;
Pasensya
na kayo't kami'y namamasko!!
Merry
Christmas (English)
To
the householder our greeting is:
"A
Glorious Merry Christmas!"
Love,
if it will reign,
[then]
every day will be Christmas always!
Chorus:
The
cause of coming here
is
to ask for gifts.
If
it is such that we're a bother,
Do
be patient since we're soliciting for Christmas!
More
recently, caroling has become a fund-raising activity. Church choirs or youth
groups spend weeks rehearsing Christmas carols then draw up a schedule of
visits to wealthy patrons in their homes or even corporate offices (often
coinciding with the office Christmas party). These are, in effect, mini
Christmas concerts, with excellent performances amply rewarded with an envelope
of cash or checks. The choirs then use the funds for goodwill projects. Unlike
the traditional children's caroling, the singers do not partake of the
earnings, but rather donate their share to the group's projects.
Aguinaldo
This
is a word heard repeatedly during the Christmas Season in the Philippines.
Presently, the term is interpreted as gift or money received from benefactors.
Aguinaldo is a Spanish term for bonus. Its prevalent use may have originated
from Filipino workers of the Spanish era, receiving extra pay from the
generosity of the rich employers during the celebration of the Christmas
season.
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