The Filipino Way of Celebrating Christmas
Christmas is just around the bend. We know it. We feel it. We hear it. We smell it. We see it. Pinoys are perhaps the only people who celebrate Christmas the longest, and uniquely at that. To other cultures, Christmas is just a two-day or one-day affair, but for Filipinos here and abroad, it's the most wonderful time of the year indeed – an occasion fit to last for several months and worthy of coming home to regardless of the circumstance.
So how do Filipinos celebrate Christmas? Here are ten ways.
10. +Ber Months-Long Celebration
The moment the clock strikes 12 midnight on the first of September, Pinoys are already greeting each other a merry Christmas. We celebrate Christmas throughout the duration
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The lantaka is fueled with water and calcium carbide, which together releases acetylene gas and produces an explosion. The making and firing of lantaka is so popular in Kidapawan, North Cotabato that the province holds the Kanyong Kawayan Festival (Bamboo Canon Festival) to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.
3. Christmas Sales and Shopping Sprees
Never mind the bustling crowd inside shopping malls and the long queues at the cashier. Pinoys love shopping, and look forward to receiving the yearly bonus so they can start buying Christmas presents, decors, Noche Buena and other stuff. Vendors take advantage of the seasonal increase in the people's disposable income by holding promotional sales, encouraging everyone to join in the Christmas shopping frenzy.
2. Joining Monito-Monita or Exchanging Gifts
Pinoys like giving and receiving Christmas gifts. Exchanging gifts is an all-time favorite portion of every Christmas party, where each one brings a wrapped up present worth a pre-specified amount. Each participant will then receive the gift that corresponds to the number on a rolled paper drawn via a fishbowl method. A participant who gets the same gift he or she brought is entitled to draw another number or have the gift
Of all religious holidays that have been adopted by secularists, one of the most popular would be Christmas, originally meant to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. With the exact date of Jesus' birth unknown during ancient times, Christmas was initially assigned to January 6th, but was changed to December 25th under the influence of the winter solstice (Nothaft 903). Peculiarly however, is the universal celebration of Christmas al...
Christmas is a very important celebration in most parts of the world. It is an annual festive celebration where families come together. In Mexico La Navidad is one of the most special celebrations that include many different events. Christmas in this part of the reign is not a one-day celebration; it starts on December 9 and ends January 6. Some of the most popular celebrations during Christmas are Las Posadas, La Cena de Nochebuena, and Los Reyes Magos.
Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.
Christmas is almost here again, but have you ever thought how odd some of the holiday traditions are and how they became so popular? Buying a pine tree, setting it up in your house and then decorating it with festive lights and ornaments; hanging up stockings filled with candy over the fireplace; or how an old guy in a red-suit comes to your house the night before Christmas and leaves presents. This, too many Americans is normal, but why? Learning about these holiday traditions will get you into the Christmas spirit and show you what Christmas is truly about.
Christmas is a holiday filled with tradition, family, and happiness, but what most people don’t know is that Christmas is celebrated all over the world, not just the United States. Latin American countries are especially passionate about Christmas. The way Hispanic people celebrate changes throughout each country. Each one has its own unique Christmas culture. In this essay I am going to write about some of these different countries, and tell how each one is similar and different in showing their Christmas spirit.
... Religious Customs, History, Legends, and Symbols from around the World; Supplemented by a Bibliography and Lists of Christmas Web Sites and Associations. Detroit, Mich: Omnigraphics, 2003. Print.
Another food is stuffed turkey and roasted stuffed pig. During Miranda(a event where a pig gets fried) a Christmas party in thrown with family, friends and neighbors. Also, families decorate Christmas trees. On Candle day, which is December 7th, candles are lit in window sills and and in streets to celebrate December. Most of these candles are red and blue. On the 16th of December families, neighbors and friends pray for 9 days. Santa does not exist in Colombia, instead Jesus gives them presents. A way that children hope to get presents is on the day before Christmas Eve, children write notes to baby Jesus and put these notes in the pesebre (nativity). These notes also can be called Carta Niño Dios. On Christmas, which is the 25th, they eat leftovers from Christmas Eve. On Christmas people in the U.S. eat ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, ham, stuffing and bread. In the U.S. people decorate Christmas trees with ornaments and lights. Families also hang stockings above fireplaces, bed posts, stair cases, window sills, door knobs and other places. Also, some children leave out cookies for Santa, they also write letters to him. It is believed that Santa Claus eats cookies that are left out for him, and he leaves presents under the Christmas trees for all the good boys and girls, and if you don’t be nice you get coal in your stocking instead of candy. Also, a tradition that started in 2005 is Elves
What about other countries though? Is the Christmas season all about giving and receiving gifts? Are children in Spain rewarded by Santa with gifts and toys on Christmas Eve? In this essay we will look at what Christmas season means in Spain, and what traditions are prevalent in their culture. We will also look at the Christmas related traditions of Americans, and how those compare and contrast to those in Spain.
Today it seems as though Christmas has fallen victim to materialism and commercialization. Rather than it being a time of loving and giving, it has become a stressful season of greed. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, it is important for us to recognize the true reason of the season, and celebrate in a fashion that exemplifies that reason.
ChristmasThe year's most celebrated holiday is celebrated on December 25th, both in homes and churches worldwide. The meaning for Christmas is to recognize Christ's birth, of which the exact date is not known. During the fourth century the Bishop of Rome set December 25th as Christ's birth date. Some authorities claim that the choice of December 25th was made because it coincided with Chanukah, Mithraic's feast of the sun god, and the people of northern Europe's winter solstice feast. The winter solstice is the time of year in the Northern Hemisphere when the noon sun appears to be farthest south. (All About American Holidays, 1962 Encyclopedia Encarta, 1998)The Saturnalia was celebrated for seven days, during the period of time when the winter solstice occurred.
Although Santa has become the main staple of the Christmas season it is important to remember the true reason for the season. Jesus’ birth is what December 25 began as until Saint Nicholas day merged with it. Even though the character that has developed and encountered extremely drastic changes, he has almost always been a giving generous figure in society. “Santa is ‘an invention of the advertising industry’ and ‘a representative of consumer society,’ according to Bonifatiuswerk der deutschen Katholiken [Boniface of German Catholics], which seeks to restore St. Nicholas to his proper place in the Christmas season” (Sweas).
Frosty the Snowman waves hello alongside Santa 's reindeer that are ready to take off. Candy canes line the sidewalk and the ginger bread dolls dance in a merry circle. The trees all sparkle with thousands of red, yellow, purple, blue, and orange lights. Out back, Mary and Joseph stand over baby Jesus, Choo-Choo train’s chug in spot, stars twinkle with bright yellow bulbs, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause wave in the distance. Kerkhoven, MN, the location of the happiest house on the block. Every year my breath is always taken away as my eyes struggle to soak in the utter abundance of Christmas spirit. I 'm smiling and we 're not even inside yet.
Christmas is a magical holiday and it is celebrated everywhere in the world by creating a fantasy scenery on the streets and in every shop and house. Around Christmas time, all the big cities in the world turn into a magical place, decorated with huge Christmas trees and with thousands of Christmas lights. But that is not all. In many cities around the world, no matter whether they are the capital city of a country or a small town, there are organized Christmas Markets every year. The Christmas markets fill the streets with a wonderful smell of traditional delicacies related to Christmas and so everybody is attracted to the markets by the wonderful, fantasy-like smell coming from there. In these markets, people can also find original, unique ideas to buy as gifts for their loved ones, as merchandisers usually sell hand-made items in these markets. And let’s not forget about the beautiful Christmas decorations, which you can also find at any of these markets.
Around Christmas time all people have a different way we like to go about shopping. Some like to stay in the comfort of their own home. While others like to save every little penny they can and some shoppers like to get in and out of the store as fast as possible. There are three types of holiday shoppers, the online shoppers, the bargain shoppers, and last but not least the man on a mission.
When a typical Filipino thinks about the influences of the Spaniards, Religion and Christianity would immediately come to mine. Since without a doubt, the spreading of Christianity was their main priority of coming in the Philippines. However, often shadowed are the contributions of the Spaniards in other aspects in Philippine culture. Specifically, the idea that the Spaniards; particularly, the friars brought the natives the whole new world of “culture”. Hence their name culture heroes of the Filipinos.