Philippines has the longest Christmas celebrations in the world

There's no doubt that the Philippines has the longest celebration of Christmas among other countries in the world.  As a nation comprises mainly of Catholics who believes that Jesus Christ was born on the 25th of December, most jolly Filipinos are of course excited; and the preparations for the coming of the Yuletide season begins as early as the "-ber" months starts to kicks in.  The observance would traditionally lasts until January 6, colloquially known as the feast of The Three Kings.

As a matter of fact, one of our neighbors here had already decorated their staircase with tinsels and garlands.  I saw it when I went out the other day to buy something from the neighborhood store.  I was like, wow! it's only the first week of September and they've started putting up some Christmas decorations as early as now.

Shopping malls and many business establishments has also started with their yearly Christmas themed decors.

Even on the local radio stations, you can already hear Christmas carols being played over the airwaves.  From the very timely classics like Christmas in our hearts and Perfect Christmas by Jose Mari Chan up to the latest renditions of Last Christmas and Do they know it's Christmas by the Glee Cast members.  Ooh, the festive and nostalgic feeling every time I hear these songs.

And of course, every television networks will gonna be having their distinct style of greeting their audiences a Happy Holidays!  I am always looking forward for the music video of the yearly Christmas Station ID by ABS-CBN which aims to give joy and inspiration to all the Filipinos worldwide.

 What is Pasko?

Pasko is a tagalog term for Christmas.  It came from the Spanish word Pascua. Although the word Pascua literally convey as "Easter", Pascua de Navidad has been widely used.

The Filipino Christmas tradition

The Christmas traditions in the Philippines came from these combined Western influences - the Europeans and Americans. The use of Christmas Tree, Christmas lights, Christmas stockings & mistletoe in a Filipino modern homes; and the children's belief on Santa Claus were mainly inherited from the Western culture.

Here are some of the Spanish influences to us:

Traditional Parol

Parol (star lantern) which is made up of bamboo sticks & colorful Japanese papers.  Some were made of brightly colored cellophane or even from indigenous materials and is lit inside using a candle or a small bulb.  It is a symbol of Star of Bethlehem that served as a guide of the Three Kings to find the stable where Jesus Christ was born.  Parols were a very common decorations in a traditional Filipino homes every Christmas.

Belen

Belen (the manger) a miniature version of the stable illustrating the Nativity scene where you can see  the infant Jesus with Joseph and Mary beside him.  On the background, you can see the Three Kings and some stable animals while the Star of Bethlehem is shining brightly above them.

Simbang Gabi

Misa de Gallo or the Simbang Gabi is a series of nine masses starting from the dawn of December 16 until the midnight of the 24th.  Right after the mass, you can visit several food stalls lined outside of the church where you can buy Puto Bumbong, Bibingka (rice cakes) and Salabat (ginger tea) for your morning breakfast.  There's also an old belief that when you successfully completed all of the nine masses, you get to make a wish.  

Traditional Filipino Noche Buena

Noche Buena is a meal on the night of Christmas eve (Bisperas ng Pasko) where family, relatives and friends gathered altogether for a sumptuous feast before welcoming the Christmas Day.  There's a Queso de bola, ham & cheese, loaf of bread, paella, rice cakes (kakanin), roasted pork (lechon baboy) and assorted fruits on the traditional menu.  Although, this has been modernized already with the fusion of Chinese and Western delicacies.  This is also the time where children gets to receive nice presents (aguinaldos) from their godfathers (ninong) and godmothers (ninang).

Photo(s) from Google