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Music and dance, too, are art forms that play key
roles in this Christmas revelry. Children’s choirs mimic
angels angelic hosts; rondalla ensembles provide a decidedly
Pinoy sound; while brass bands, marching bands, and
drum-and-lyre bands set towns all over the country
a-marching to jazzed-up yuletide tunes. In addition, the
Philippines has a variety of Christmas dances such as the
Pandanggo, Rinconada, Las Panderetas, Sakuting, and Tulu
Kahadi which dance troupes perform to express the gaiety of
the season. Then, of course, there is the annual performance
of the well-loved, albeit “imported” Nutcraker ballet.
On Christmas Eve, everyone awaits the midnight Misa
de Aguinaldo (“Gift Mass”) followed by the most
important repast of the year, the Noche Buena. At
this feast, family members savor yuletide favorites like hamon
(ham), queso de bola (ripened ball cheese), relleno
(stuffed chicken), castañas (roasted chestnuts),
fruitcake, and fresh fruits. On this night, the Andalucian
couplet holds true, “Esta noche es noche Buena, y no es
noche para dormir.” (“This night is a good night,
and not a night for sleeping.”)
December 25th is also known as Pasko ng
Mga Bata (“Children’s Christmas”) for obvious
reasons. It is also the day the little ones visit their
godparents (Ninong and Ninang) and kiss the
back of their hands in greeting, expecting gifts and other
treats in return.
January 1st is oddly called Pasko ng
Mga Binata’t Dalaga (“Christmas of Unmarried Men and
Women”) besides ushering in the New Year. In accordance
with Chinese custom, firecrackers are exploded to ward off
evil spirits at the crucial transition from one year to the
next.
Immediately afterwards, another feast called Media
Noche (“Midnight”) tempts with lechon
(roasted suckling pig), pancit (noodles, for goodluck),
grapes (for more luck), and oranges (for prosperity). The
color red is worn for luck as well, while polka dots on
one’s clothes are considered auspicious.
The “Feast of the Three Kings” or Tres Reyes
on the first Sunday of January officially draws the
Christmas season to a close. This feast is also known as the
Pasko ng mga Matatanda (“Christmas of the Elderly).
It is a happy extension of more gift-giving for, in the old
tradition, it was not Santa Claus but the Three Kings from
the East who came bearing gifts for the children, dropping
candies, apples, and coins in the polished shoes they would
leave overnight on their windowsills. And if one had
forgotten a gift or two at Christmastime, the Chinese New
Year in late January or early February gives one the chance
to make up for the oversight.
The Christmas spirit, though, does not quite end yet.
Yuletide decorations stay up just a little longer. The belen
stays ensconced a while more in its choice place in the
home. Strains of Christmas carols still hang in the air, and
get-togethers go on until the last out-of-town relative or
friend has left.
Ahhh… Christmas without end! That’s the way
Pinoys like it.
It is only when the Lenten season begins in march
that the Filipino finally tucks Christmas away. To storage
boxes at last go the wreaths, the angels, and the lights.
But the memory of Christmas – the family togetherness, the
feasting, the gift-giving, the birth of the Christ Child
that gives it all meaning – lingers until (you guessed
it!) It’s time for Paskong Pinoy all over again.
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