Christmas? It's More Fun in the Philippines!

Emary Colaway's Tales of Filipino Christmas. More Fun in the Philippines!
by Emary Colaway

 
There were a few things I researched and learned about Christmas because of this exercise. I discovered, thanks to Google, that the Tagalog word for Pasko was derived from the Spanish word Pascua. Although the word Pascua means Easter, Pascua de Navidad refers to Christmas.

I also discovered that indeed, The Philippines is known for having the world’s longest Christmas season. The four months that end with the syllable –ber are considered Christmas months, which is why stores and households start playing carols on the first day of September! And the holiday season extends beyond December 31st. It doesn’t end until the Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings (Tatlong Hari) which falls around January 6. Wow.. That is why, it's really "more fun in the Philippines!"

As early as mid-October, I have already started to decorate the front of the house with a big Christmas lantern (Parol) made of colorful Capiz shells and dancing lights, bought several years ago from Pampanga, while several pieces of smaller parols, made up of bamboo sticks and papel de hapon and colored plastic sheets or cellophane were used to decorate every corner of the house.

I personally conceptualized and decorated our living room with garlands adorned with a lot of ornaments (ribbons, Christmas balls, bells, etc) and new set of Christmas lights with blinking controller. It offered 5 variations/patterns of blinking lights, in terms of speed, blinking sequence and rhythm. Well, as it was still early before Christmas, we turned the lights on only when there are guests. But starting December 16, we turned the lights on every night until New Year's eve.

Of course, we pale in comparison with the other houses in our community, which are much bigger and were decorated with more Christmas ornaments and lights, including a life-size Belen or Nativity Scene, but my family and I just watch in awe everytime as evening starts and all their Christmas lights began to lit the evening with colorful blinking lights, that made us feel stronger, that truly, "Christmas spirit is in the air."

 While we don't have to be rich to be able to help and share and care for the less fortunate, my family decided to spare a little amount of money and prepared relief goods for donation to the families of typhoon Pablo victims of Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental. We packed some of the clothes we are no longer using, as well asked our relatives and friends for their share. My husband also spearheaded a fund-raising in his office for this cause, to be donated through the Rotary Club, a service-oriented NGO. 

As we heard Christmas carols played on the radio and on TV, we can already feel the festive Christmas cheers. But compared to previous years, there were just a few youth or elderly carolers from the church or civic organizations that came to solicit for their "fund raising for a cause". But the children/young carolers were still quite a number, knocking on the gate, one after another, singing with gusto the very famous Tagalog carol song - Sa Maybahay Ang Aming Bati (Namamasko).

Sa maybahay ang aming bati
'Merry Christmas' na maluwalhati
Ang pag-ibig 'pag siyang naghari
Araw-araw ay magiging Paskong lagi

Ang sanhi po ng pagparito
Hihingi po ng aginaldo
Kung sakaling kami'y perhuwisyo
Pasensya na kayo't kami'y namamasko.
Pasko! 



 And after my 5-year old son excitedly handed them the 5 or 10 Peso coin (the amount depends on the number of children), they would all together end their singing with "Tenk yu, tenk yu, ang babait ninyo, tenkyu."

My son eventually got to get a taste of joining a young carolers' group as he and his young cousins went around the neighbors, equipped with instruments made of softdrink bottle caps and wire, while others would use an empty powedered milk can as drums.

As early as late November and early December, my husband and I also had a taste of Christmas spirit as we had attended several Christmas parties at his work and also with his batchmates in elementary. They had exchage gifts called Monito-Monita or Kris Kringle. Well, because of these, we were able to collect 2 pieces of electric cordless kettles, which we recycled as gifts for others. 

My whole family attended the Misa de Gallo (Simbang Gabi), starting on the 16th of December and ended on the eve of Christmas, the 24th of December. During then first 5 days, we tried to wake up early to attend the mass at four o’clock in the morning, and treated ourselves with hot and freshly baked flat but thick yellow rice cake called bibingka and puto bumbong topped with coconut, sold just outside the church. And finally on December 25, Christmas day, the whole family (me, my husband, my 2 young children and their lola) attended the Christmas mass together. We would kiss one another after the mass, and would pay respect to their lola by way of kissing and bringing to our forehead the hand of my children's Lola. We had early Christmas breakfast, featuring hot cocoa drink, with last night's Noche Buena leftovers.

For our Noche Buena the previous night, while the rich families have lechon (roasted pig) and roasted turkeys on their table as part of the Noche Buena feast, our family contented ourselves with the Christmas ham (Hamon de bola), which we received as gift from my husband's colleague at work. We also prepared turbo chicken, fruit salad, menudo, and inihaw na liempo, while my sister's family came and brought lasagna and graham refrigerated cake. Of course, the most exciting part of Christmas is the opening of gifts, especially for the children, as they really thought the presents they received were really from Santa Claus. We got to bed at 4am, after we all tried to belt our favorite songs using the videoke.

As early as 7am in the morning, the godchildren (inaanaks) of my husband, started coming and received from their Ninong ampaws with fresh bills, together with loot bags with candies and school supplies as their gifts (aginaldo).

Later in the day, we went to the mall with the whole family, and we had a chance to have my kids' picture taken with Santa Claus.

Christmas day is over, and now we prepare for the New Year's Day.

Part of the fun in getting ready for New Year's Eve is to come up with twelve (12) round fruits, each to signify a month of the year.

Ideally, there should be twelve different fruits — grapes, oranges, pomelo, watermelon… But it’s a tough challenge, not only because of the skyrocketing prices but also the availability of 12 different kinds of really round fruits, so half the fruits likely end up being non-circular like mangoes and apples.

While other households in the community invested huge sum of money on Filipino paputok or firecrackers (Judas belt, kwitis, bawang, super lolo, plapla and the recent famous ones like Bin Laden, Goodbye Philippines, Pacquiao, Piccolo, Goodbye Gloria, Ampatuan, etc.), my family abstained from spending even a single centavo on firecrackers. Instead, we bought a few pieces of Torotot and made use of creative alternatives like blowing whistles, smashing pots and pans, shaking empty cans half-filled with coins to create the noise needed to scare evil spirits and bad luck away.

Thanks also to the Department of Health's (DOH) campaign against firecrackers courtesy of Dr. Eric Tayag, DOH assistant secretary, who danced the Gangnam Style that proved effective in reducing firecracker injuries this year.

Well, even without spending a peso for the fireworks, we were all delighted to the different fireworks that were displayed in the sky during the Christmas eve. Anywhere we look, dazzling fireworks in the sky kept us mesmerized and hopeful that the new year will bring to our family better health and a happier year, and more prosperity not only for our family but also to all Filipinos and the whole nation.

Of course, before we share together as a family our simple Media Noche treat, we cannot forget the Filipino traditions of New Year's eve, such as jumping several times as the clock strikes 12,keeping all doors of the house open, and turning all lights on, and wearing polka dots shirt and dress, etc.

I would also like to share in this blog few articles I discovered on the World Wide Web, featuring the Filipino superstitions and customs associated with Christmas and New Year's eve.






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Superstitious Christmas Customs

Superstitious Christmas Customs are strange beliefs or superstitions associated with Christmas Day. These are especially observed in the various provinces of the Philippines.
Here are some of these superstitions:

• Silent Night. It is forbidden to talk loud from the midnight until 2:00 a.m. of Christmas Day for it will "awaken the sleeping new born Jesus." (northern barrios of Samar)

• Don't Wash Away the Blessings. It's rude and unwise to bathe on Christmas Day for it might "wash away the blessings" given on His birthday. (Decabo, Busuanga, Mindoro)

• Stretch and Grow Taller. Stretching in bed upon waking up on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday mornings will make one grow taller. (Capiz)

• Jumping Up. Children are told to jump on Christmas Eve to grow taller.

• Don't Swat a Fly. Don't step on ants, kill any insect, or swat a fly or mosquito on Christmas Day for it will bring bad luck to the community. Animals for food on Christmas day must also be slaughtered a day before. (Bontol, Antique)

• Food "To Go". Women are sent off with an empty basket for manghimaja (going from house to house to ask for food). The elder men in the house have a specialty dish for tumatapat (giving a portion of the Noche Buena meal). Each woman then comes back home with different dishes for their Christmas table. This custom is a type of bayanihan (sharing). (Garcia Hernandez, Pampanga)

• Healing Rain. The first raindrops from midnight of December 24 to 25 are caught in empty pails as the drops are believed to be miraculous and healing. (Macalaya, Bulan, Sorsogon)

• Lucky Baby. A baby born on Christmas Day is regarded as lucky. Folks visit and bring presents, as they believe that this will bring them luck as well. (Cabigtian, Bohol)

Folks serenade the newborn baby with Christmas carols and give two presents (one for Christmas and one for the child's birthday) To give one gift may bring meager luck to the giver. (Abarlon, Palawan)

• "Spoil" the Children. Parents give anything the child ask for on Christmas Day for they are God's favorite creature and refusing to satisfy their request may anger God.

• The Early Birds' Reward. Rising early in the morning on Christmas Day will bring wealth. (Iloilo and Capiz)

Farmers plants root crops very early on Christmas to guarantee a prosperous harvest. (Matangule, Palawan, and Nabasagan, Burias Island.

• Capes for Winter. When old folks feel the chill of "Filipino winter" they overdress their children to ward off wintry frost. (Negros, Capiz, Iloilo)

• New Shoes. Wearing new shoes for the Christmas Mass shows respect for the Child Jesus and will bring luck and help the person go places. (Pangsanjan, Laguna)

• Gooey, Gummy Delicacy. A white, gooey, bubblegum-like treat called misalubong is served. The more it sticks when eaten, the better the luck you will receive. It is both a blessing and treat to those who taste it. (coastal barrios of Pampanga)

• No Frowns Allowed Here! Smile and never frown on Christmas day, for a frown would make the day seem long, and a frown at one's enemy may give the barrio bad luck. (Lanog, Tubungan, Iloilo)

Source: http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Superstitious_Christmas_Customs

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15 Filipino Superstitions on New Year's Eve
There are so many interesting Filipino superstitions or folk beliefs associated with New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in the Philippines.

Filipinos say you should observe the following customs and traditions to ensure that the new year being welcomed is a prosperous one. Many of

these superstitions bear a strong Chinese influence.

1. Make as much noise as you can to scare away evil spirits.

2. Turn on all lights so that the coming year is bright.

3. Open all doors, windows, cabinets and drawers to let good fortune in.

4. Debts must be paid off. Fill you wallet with fresh peso bills. (Filipinos believe that whatever your financial state is in at the stroke

of midnight, so it will be in the new year.)

5. Clean everything.

6. Wear polka-dots. Anything round signifies prosperity.

7. Scatter coins around the house, on tabletops.... inside drawers...

FOOD-RELATED SUPERSTITIONS

8. Prepare 12 round fruits, one for each month of the coming new year.

9. Have a very round grape in your mouth at the stroke of midnight.

10. Eat a native delicacy made from sticky rice to make good fortune stick in the new year.

11. Eat long noodles (pansit) for long life.

12. Jump twelve times at midnight to increase your height. (Observed by Filipino children.)

13. Don't have chicken or fish. They are associated with the scarcity of food.

ON NEW YEAR'S DAY ITSELF

14. Don't clean anything! You might sweep away the good fortune that came in on New Year's Eve.

15. Don't spend money at all. Your thriftiness on the first day of the year will augur your money management in the coming year.

Follow these rituals and you're sure to have a Happy New Year in 2013!

Source: http://tagaloglang.com/Filipino-Culture/Filipino-Superstitions/filipino-superstitions-new-years-eve.html