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Calatagan, Batangas Founding Anniversary December 16, 2020

Christmas in the Philippines celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ who, according to Biblical tradition, was sent by God to save people from sin and death. The holiday is held every 25 December.

The Christmas season in the Philippines is summed up in three words: faith, family and food – with the three intertwined in almost every event.  Masses are held in churches leading up to Christmas Day, with many feasts held alongside them. The length of the season varies: Christmas can last from a few weeks to a few months. Christmas carols are played in the shopping centres and malls from as early as September until well into January.

A clear sign the Christmas season has truly begun is the hanging of star-shaped lanterns called parol in every public space and household. The parol, representing the Star of Bethlehem, is unique to the Philippines and is as quintessential to the season as Christmas trees and fake snow are to the Western cultures.

In the week leading up to Christmas, a series of masses called Misa de Gallo are held late every night. On Christmas Eve, there is (you guessed it) another mass held at midnight helpfully named, “Midnight Mass”, followed by a traditional family feast called Noche Buena running well into the early hours of Christmas morning.

A Christmas lunch is prepared for extended family where they open presents, eat, play games, sing karaoke, and eat some more. Older members of the family are revered and traditions, such as Pagmamano (taking the older family member’s hand and gently placing it on one’s forehead as a sign of respect), are practiced. The day ends only when people are too full to eat or are obliged to go to another household to eat some more.

Christmas in the Philippines celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ who, according to Biblical tradition, was sent by God to save people from sin and death. The holiday is held every 25 December.

The Christmas season in the Philippines is summed up in three words: faith, family and food – with the three intertwined in almost every event.  Masses are held in churches leading up to Christmas Day, with many feasts held alongside them. The length of the season varies: Christmas can last from a few weeks to a few months. Christmas carols are played in the shopping centres and malls from as early as September until well into January.

A clear sign the Christmas season has truly begun is the hanging of star-shaped lanterns called parol in every public space and household. The parol, representing the Star of Bethlehem, is unique to the Philippines and is as quintessential to the season as Christmas trees and fake snow are to the Western cultures.

In the week leading up to Christmas, a series of masses called Misa de Gallo are held late every night. On Christmas Eve, there is (you guessed it) another mass held at midnight helpfully named, “Midnight Mass”, followed by a traditional family feast called Noche Buena running well into the early hours of Christmas morning.

A Christmas lunch is prepared for extended family where they open presents, eat, play games, sing karaoke, and eat some more. Older members of the family are revered and traditions, such as Pagmamano (taking the older family member’s hand and gently placing it on one’s forehead as a sign of respect), are practiced. The day ends only when people are too full to eat or are obliged to go to another household to eat some more.

The New Year is a celebration of the end and beginning of a year based on the lunar calendar. The holiday celebrates the events of the past year, while ushering in good fortune for the upcoming year. The lunar New Year celebrations in the Philippines are approached with the same exciting outlook as they are in Mainland China.

Padre Garcia, Batangas Foundation Day December 01, 2020

Dr. José Rizal, the Philippines’ National Hero, is celebrated on his namesake day every 30 December.

The first president of the Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo, commemorated the first Rizal Day in 1898. Born on 19 June 1861, José Rizal is considered as the one of the greatest heroes in Philippine history, and is credited as starting the Philippine revolution against the Spanish colonisers.

Rizal, a man of many talents, was notably a ophthalmologist and a novelist. His two novels, “Noli me Tangere” (“Touch me not”) and the sequel “El filibusterismo” (“The Filibustering” or “Reign of Greed”) exposed the injustices brought on by the Spanish colonisers in the Philippines. Many scholars and historians would agree that it was the ideas in these two books that influenced the already discontented Filipinos to act against the Spanish.

Subsequently, he was arrested for treason and for being associated with the revolutionary forces (although he did not take part in any type of warfare). He was convicted on the grounds of rebellion, sedition and conspiring against the government, and was sentenced to execution by a firing squad on 30 December 30 1896. His death was the last straw for the Filipinos and thus began the end for the Spanish colonisers.

Official events centre around the main Rizal shrine, in Rizal Park in Manila. Flags are at half-mast and the President of the Philippines lays a wreath at Rizal’s shrine, as a symbol of the nation’s gratitude and reverence. As it is a public holiday, most people take the day off from work and spend time with family and friends.