The Philippines, being a predominantly Catholic country, celebrates Christmas in an unparalleled way. Every year, Filipinos put time and painstaking effort into preparing for this much anticipated holiday. We start feeling that Christmas spirit as early as September, signaling the start of the “ber” months, when Christmas carols begin to be played over radio stations and shopping mall speakers. So what makes Christmas “more fun in the Philippines?”
A. Caroling
Filipino children always look forward to Christmas. Aside from gifts that they receive from family and godparents, fondly called ninongs or ninangs, Filipino children also go house-to-house caroling, asking for a money gift, or “aguinaldo”—a Spanish term that means bonus. These children sing their hearts out to the beat of handmade tambourines constructed using wire-sewn bottle caps, excitedly anticipating a hefty aguinaldo from their audience. After receiving their bonuses, the kids sing a popular Filipino thank you song: “Thank you, thank you! Ang babait ninyo! Thank you!” (Thank you, thank you! You are too kind! Thank you!)
B. Simbang Gabi
Simbang Gabi (aka Misa De Gallo) is a series of masses that last nine days. Translating to “Night Mass” in English, Simbang Gabi starts at dawn, around 3:00 AM, and ends at 6:00 AM. It is held from December 16 until December 24, and once the last mass has finished, the midnight feast Noche Buena follows. After attending Simbang Gabi, most Filipinos will often go outside their churches and buy their favorite Filipino delicacies for breakfast from nearby stalls selling bibingka and puto bumbóng, or perhaps beverages like hot chocolate and salabat.
C. Parol
Lantern-making during Christmas time is another popular tradition that Filipinos observe. These lanterns are called parol, from the Spanish word “farol” meaning “lantern” or “light.” It is a star-shaped decoration with two tails hanging from each bottom tip. Parol-making is so popular that most school children are required to create lanterns for school projects as decorations for their classrooms. According to WhyChristmas.com, the parol symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem, the light used by the three wise men to find baby Jesus. Early parols were crafted using Japanese crepe paper, bamboo, and glue. Nowadays, Filipinos use more sophisticated items like shells, plastic, and built-in electrical lights in building parol. But no matter the materials used, parol-making is still a beloved folk craft.
During Christmas, seeing ornaments like parol on houses or hearing Jose Mari Chan’s iconic Christmas songs on the radio as early as September may already seem common to us Filipinos. Because we are so used to seeing little things like these, they barely stand out to us anymore. Realizing the unique way the Philippines celebrates Christmas, or even the unique way anyone celebrates their holidays and festivities, allows us to appreciate the little details in our own and others’ cultures. For us believers, we celebrate Christmas as one of the most important events in our Christian faith—the birth of our Savior, the one true reason for the season. Holidays give us a chance to broaden our horizons and celebrate others’ cultures—a chance we should cherish and appreciate. After all, in a society where cultural representation is vital to our development, unique celebrations like ours are truly blessings to show the world.
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