Aside from the fact that it starts early, some ornaments and decorations are also very "Pinoy." First is the Christmas Lantern as what we call "Parol." It is either made out of colorful paper or pearl shell or what we call "capiz"The best parols can be found in Pampanga which is Central Luzon.
Next is the manger or what Filipinos call the "Belen." The manger is a small farm stable that has the baby Jesus and his mother, Mother Mary and father, St. Joseph. In our family, this is the most important decor since we are devout Catholics.
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| Manger or Belen |
We also go to church for nine days before Christmas and that is what we call "Simbang Gabi" This is in preparation to celebrate Christmas Day, the birthday of Jesus. It is usually at around 4:00am or 10pm.
Another tradition is Noche Buena which is a spanish term that means feast before Christmas. Families gather around the dinner table to eat a lot of food and thank God for the beautiful year. Since I got married, I celebrate Christmas eve with my in-laws and Christmas day with my family. Christmas day is a family reunion for my mother's side of the family. My mom is a good cook and she prepares a feast for 20-25 people every Christmas day. I will tell you more about that in my next post.
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| My dad, me, and my mom in 2010 |
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| Typical Filipino Noche Buena |
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| This is my Christmas tree this year :) |
Basically, Christmas in the Philippines is a very happy one that is filled with joy, lights, and most importantly, food! :)
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