Christmas in the Philippines

The Philippines is a small island nation (group of islands) located in southeast Asia. Christianity was a powerful force in the Philippines for many years, but latterly Buddhism and Islam have begun to become more and more widely accepted and popular in the small country. The Philippine Islands were in the past settled by Spain, and when Spain withdrew from the Philippines Spanish culture left an imprint on the heart of the people and Spanish customs are still practiced frequently to this day.

For those Filipinos who remain Christian, the Philippines have one of the most interesting methods of observing the Christmas holiday in the world. They are noted for having the longest Christmas holiday ever, sometimes beginning as early as September and not ending until the first Sunday in January, Three Kings' Day

The Christmas holiday in the Philippines officially kicks off on December 16th, when the misas de aguinaldo, or "Gift Masses," begin extremely early in the morning every day for nine consecutive days. These masses are very important to people in the Philippines - sometimes they may even start as early as 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning. Those devout Christians are encouraged to attend each mass for those nine days, not missing any as a demonstration of their faith and devotion. After the masses are over, the people partake in a small Christmas breakfast of rice cakes, tea, cocoa, and sometimes a type of rice pudding.

On December 24th, the Filipino people also celebrate la misa de gallo, or the "Mass of the Rooster. The rooster is used to refer to the rooster crowing at the sun at dawn. The misa de gallo is the final mass of the nine consecutive early morning masses, and is the official start of the Christmas day.

La Noche Buena, the Christmas feast, is an integral part of the Christmas holiday in the Philippines. The star of the Filipino Christmas meal is the giant ball of cheese and the juicy Christmas ham. In many parts of the Philippines, children roam from house to house singing Christmas carols just as children do in the United States and other parts of the world.

The Christmas holiday celebration continues all the way through New Years Eve and New Years Day to January 6, which is the Three Kings' Day. People have fun and make loud noises to celebrate the New Year, as well as ward off any bad spirits that may be trying to enter. At midnight on New Year's Eve, Filipino families get together and partake in a New Year's feast together to celebrate the coming of a brand new year. This is a time of great superstition in this country; children are seen jumping up at midnight in hopes that they will grow taller in the new year. Round paper cut-outs and round objects are everywhere; they resemble coins and are said to bring good fortune with money in the coming year.