Photo by Dondi Tawatao
The church bells ring, and the smell of freshly made puto bungbong blends with the cold evening air. They all mean one thing: It’s Christmas in the Philippines.
As soon as ‘ber’ months roll in, the spirit of Christmas ignite in the Philippines. As early as September, we would hear Christmas songs in our frequented establishments (we all know Jose Mari Chan is the king of holiday playlists). Decorations are all over the streets—from the huge shopping malls we visit to the rows of houses we pass by. As the twinkling lights of the parol remind us, the season of giving and calorie-binging is among us.
Even with Christmas lanes opened, the traffic is just more unbearable during the holidays. But what can we do when almost everyone is flocking to shopping malls, bargain markets and bazaars, busy buying presents for all their loved ones and friends? We can’t help but join the lot, of course!
The whole world celebrates this holiday by lighting Christmas trees, playing in the snow, children asking for presents from and having their pictures taken with a man dressed like Santa Claus, and sitting by the fireplace with eggnogs in hand. But at home, we pretty much spend Christmas—what we deem as the most important holiday of the year—in our own unique ways.
Simbang Gabi
It is not Christmas in the Philippines without the sound of church bells at dawn. Being a country with a large Catholic population, a huge part of our holiday festivities is the annual Simbang Gabi wherein we attend mass for nine straight days. It starts on December 16 and ends on December 24, Christmas Eve. Some people believe that if you attend all nine of Simbang Gabi’s liturgical celebrations, a wish of yours will be granted.
Christmas Caroling
It is not just in the busy metros where Christmas is felt. The holiday spirit is also present in the quiet suburb areas where children go from house to house to serenade families with our favorite Christmas carols. “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” are probably some of the most overused Christmas songs by carolers. Regardless of how out of tune (and ignorant of the lyrics) they might get sometimes—in both cases most people would shout the ironically unforgiving “patawad!” remark. Caroling remains to be a long-running Christmas practice that lends us joyous moments as we hear and feel the spirit of through holiday serenades.
Office Christmas presentations
Christmas may be the only time of the year where we can take a break from all our office work—but that does not mean all of us are safe from office Christmas presentations! It may be only in the Philippines where new employees are required to prepare a presentation for their office party. Embarrassing as it may sound, this Filipino holiday tradition is actually a lot of fun especially when you get to see your co-workers laugh and smile throughout the presentation (even if it’s at your own expense). Plus, these corporate parties always have free booze and food, so make sure you get enough to cover your “talent fees.”
The Unending Reunions and the gifts that come with it
It is enchanting to see different light installations all over the metro and hear different Christmas carols in every establishment—but nothing compares to spending timeless moments with your family and friends. A typical Filipino family reunion is quite a scene, with a lot to take in with the commotion in every corner of the house—and there’s just so many of these to attend! We have reunions with family members on both sides, high school classmates, college blockmates—it’s simply an unending list! Almost every home hosts a festive party come December. But the family get-togethers are undeniably the craziest, with titos and titas asking for updates about your life (prepare your relationship-related answers!), family members revealing their monitos and monitas (our very own version of Secret Santa), your cousins singing along to songs on the karaoke machine til the wee hours of the morning.
A whole lot of food!
We may not experience winter or get to play with snow, but Christmas here in the Philippines means a whole lot of food! Food is a big part of how we celebrate. With all the gatherings and parties, food overflows in every Filipino household. It’s definitely not a Pinoy Christmas without the food—the hamon, keso de bola, stacks of gifted leche flan, and other signature Filipino dishes we feast on.
These unique Filipino ways makes spending Christmas in the Philippines simply the best. It gives us a reason to reconnect with who we are as Filipinos as we reconnect with the people we love. Christmas is the time of the year where we get to spend meaningful time with our family and friends—from attending Simbang Gabi masses together, planning reunions, and simply just sharing a delicious meal, we create significant moments in our lives every year on this December eve.
Indeed, nothing beats Christmas in the Philippines. After all, nothing compares to spending Christmas in your own home, whatever your definition of home may be.
