Paskong Pinoy: Traditions, practices and food
ANYWHERE ELSE in the world, Christmas is a December ‘thing .’ But in the Philippines, the season unofficially begins as early as September, or the first of the ‘ber’ months, when department stores and certain radio stations start playing Christmas music.
Preparations for the year’s most awaited holiday— shopping for Christmas trees and decor, and even for Christmas gifts—go full blast after the Halloween.
Christmas parties start in early December and last until after the New Year. The entire celebration of Pinoy Christmas extends all the way to the Feast of the Three Kings (first Sunday of January).
Simbang Gabi
One of the most important Filipino Christmas traditions, the Misa de Gallo or Simbang Gabi begins on Dec. 16. It is actually a series of nine dawn masses that ends with the Midnight Mass on Dec. 24. This tradition was introduced by Spanish friars in the early times to allow farmers to hear mass before going to the fields in the morning.
Church bells start tolling as early as 3 a.m. to wake the people up so they can go to the dawn mass. Catholic churches open their doors shortly before the break of dawn to welcome devotees of Simbang Gabi.
The tradition lives on throughout the country, or even in certain parishes in other countries that host big Filipino communities, but some changes were introduced through the years. Some churches, for instance, celebrate Simbang Gabi in the evenings, at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., to accommodate people who go to work early in the morning.
But Simbang Gabi is not just a tradition, it is also a spiritual preparation for the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. There is also this widely held belief that petitions or prayers get granted when one completes the nine-day dawn masses.
Caroling
When Simbang Gabi starts, carolers get to their feet and hop from house to house singing Christmas carols every night until the eve of Christmas to spread the spirit of the season through songs.
Children and even adults form groups and equip themselves with, mostly, handmade musical instruments– tambourines made of bottle caps held together by thin wires and cans or biscuit tins used as drums—to accompany their singing of Jingle Bells, Silent Night and the carolers’ favorite Filipino Christmas songs, Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, Pasko na Naman at Namamasko.
Some youth and adult groups do caroling to raise funds for certain causes, but most of these groups inform their target households in advance of the date and time they are coming. Envelopes are distributed for donations. These groups of carolers practice their numbers many weeks ahead.,
Décor
There may be no snow and mistletoe in the Philippines, but the Christmas air can be felt anywhere –with homes, churches, commercial establishments, the streets and parks decorated with colorful lights, Christmas trees and beautiful ‘parols’ or Christmas lanterns of various sizes, kinds and shapes.
The Nativity Scene or Belen is ,most of the time, the center of all these Christmas displays in homes and churches. The Belen shows Baby Jesus in a manger with Mother Mary and St. Joseph. There are the shepherds and the farm animals and, completing the Nativity Scene, there are the three wise men carrying gifts to Infant Jesus and the star of Bethlehem that guided them in their journey.
Monito/Monita
In keeping with the tradition of gift giving, Filipinos hold their own version of exchanging gifts or Kris Kringle, called the “Monito-Monita.” This is usually done among groups of friends, in classrooms and offices.
The mechanics of Monita-Monito vary, some can be as simple as asking the participants to bring gifts which are later on raffled off to the participants during Christmas parties.
Others start several weeks ahead of the gift-giving time or the Christmas party. The names of the participants are placed in a box and each member draws a name from the box. The names drawn would be the Monitos or Monitas, whose names should not be revealed until revelation day or the Christmas party.
The rules are simple. One has to give his Monito/Monita a small gift every day or every week, the frequency depends on the rules set by the group. Sometimes the group chooses a theme for the week like something soft, something sweet, something long and hard, something green or blue, it can be a lot of fun to see the ideas people come up with.
Noche Buena
In the afternoon of Dec, 24 , one can expect every kitchen of every household bustling with activities as everybody prepares their Noche Buena fare.
Noche Buena, in some households, can be a feast of hamon (ham), queso de bola, relleno, roast or fried chicken, noodles , bibingka and puto bumbong, leche flan and various fruits. For some, it can be as simple as lugaw and pancit.
Families get together for Noche Buena on Christmas eve, right after the Midnight Mass.
Pamamasko
On Christmas day, children—the younger ones accompanied by their parents—visit their godparents (ninongs and ninangs) and relatives. This practice, called pamamasko, is one of the most awaited by children who, after kissing the hands of their godparents and relatives, expect to receive aginaldos (gifts).
