The best and longest Christmas celebration in the world

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Woohoo it's November! They say everything's late in my country, oh, but never Christmas! 😊

Filipinos are a fun-loving people, even when facing problems, the Pinoy can stilll manage a smile, and a joke or two. The Christmas season is sacred to us and a time for family and friends. A time to express love and to enjoy the company of loved ones. People often ask when is the best time to visit the Philippines. I think that the Christmas season is the best time to visit aside from summer time. Here are some things to see and enjoy during the Christmas season:

Join a Noche Buena: The traditional Filipino Christmas dinner

The Christmas eve dinner or commonly called Noche Buena in the Philippines is one of the highlights of the Filipino Christmas celebration.

Foreigners who are dining with Filipino families or are hosted in a Filipino home will surely be treated to a sumptuous fare of Filipino cuisine. Traditionally, Christmas dinner is usually done in buffet style which offers 15 to 20 food items in a table beautifully decorated with Christmas wreath or flowers and dining wares used only during special occasions such as this. The Noche Buena is eaten around midnight, after the Christmas eve Mass.

Among the typical dishes served during the Christmas dinner are lechon (roasted pig), kare-kare (oxtail stew in peanut butter sauce), rellenong manok (baked stuff chicken), noodle and pasta dishes like pancit or spaghetti, barbecue, adobo, native rice cakes, lumpia (spring rolls) and Queso de Bola (cheese that is shaped like a ball). In most Filipino tables, the queen of the dinner table is the Chinese ham made from cured and sweetened pork meat that can be cooked from home or bought in many supermarkets.

Other traditional Christmas liquids to try are the hot "tsokolate," a native chocolate drink and the "salabat" or ginger tea which are great for cold early mornings. You may also try the internationally renowned San Miguel beer made in the Philippines.

The Filipino Noche Buena is like an open house celebration. Family, friends, relatives, and neighbors drop in to wish family members a "Maligayang Pasko" or Merry Christmas. Many major hotels in the Philippines also serve the traditional dishes in their Filipino restaurants during the Christmas season.

Try the Filipino native cakes

Foreign friends who are visiting over the holidays must try the Filipino native cakes abundant during the Christmas season. A local delicacy to try is the bibingka, a rice cake topped with salted eggs and served in banana leaf with fresh coconut meat and brown sugar, a favorite of many locals. It is best eaten when it is still hot, where you can also put butter and it melts on the rice cake.
Another must try Filipino native cake, usually found along street stalls in the early morning when the locals have gone to dawn mass, is the delicious puto bumbong, rice steamed inside a "bumbong" or a small bamboo tube. It is delicious colored purple and topped with coconut meat and butter. Suman or steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves can also be bought outside the Church.Suman is best pared with a hot chocolate and eaten with fresh mango on the side. Truly delicious!
You can also find these local rice cakes in local restaurants inside malls who serve these native delicacies.

Experience the Misa de Gallo

Filipinos are known to have the longest and the merriest Christmas celebration in the world. As early as September, Christmas songs are already being played in the local radio and Christmas trees are put up in most homes after the commemoration of All Soul's Day on November 2.

Although the Christmas cheer informally begins at the turn of the "ber" months in most Filipino homes, the Christmas holidays formally begin on December 16, when the first of the nine novena masses is began. Most Filipinos observe the traditional "Simbang Gabi" to honor the child Jesus whose birthday is celebrated on December 25, Christmas Day.

The tradition is also known by its popular Spanish name, "Misa de Gallo" which means mass of the rooster since Catholic churches throughout the country will be sounding their bells around 3 in the morning long before the roosters crow to wake up the faithful to worship. The bells carry a message of hope in the love of God and peace on earth.

Given that the Philippines is predominantly a Catholic nation, most Filipinos look forward to and honor this Christmas tradition. They go to the pre-dawn mass for nine days before Christmas as their gift to Jesus. On December 24 when the last of the nine pre-dawn masses is held, most families still attend the Christmas Eve Mass in the evening, where there is a joyful gathering of family and friends offering thanksgiving to their new born King.

After the Mass ends on midnight, families gather for the Noche Buena, a family feast of Filipino food and cuisines inherited by the Filipinos from the Spanish, Chinese and Americans among others. It is a night without sleep and a continuous celebration until Christmas Day.

The celebrations do not end on Christmas day however and the season of good cheer continues until the first Sunday of January, the Feast of the Ephipany, that commemorates the three kings who presented their gifts to the child Jesus.

So, if you wish to see the Philippines at its best and partake of its unique culture, do visit during the Christmas season when the breeze is cold but not freezing and you can enjoy the warmth of fun loving Filipinos.

Enjoy the Christmas lights decor at Policarpio Steet

One of the greatest joys in celebrating Christmas in the Philippines is taking on a visual feast of the best displays of Christmas decorations in the world. Every house will at least have a parol (the star of Christmas) hung in their porch or a Christmas tree decorated in their living rooms.

A first time visitor to the Philippines will not miss the bright display of Christmas lights coming from the international airport. On your way to Makati city, you will already see Christmas decorations all over, with lights, lanterns, and nativity scenes adorning corporate buildings. The streets are well lit and are filled with activities, giving you immediately the feeling of the holiday cheer.

However, nothing beats the bright display of Christmas lights in a quaint street in the Philippines called Policarpio located in Barangay New Zañiga in Mandaluyong city.

The neighborhood chose to make their Christmas celebration more colorful and festive by decorating their houses with lights, not only with a few colorful bulbs, but covering almost all of their homes. The "Christmas" street has now become a tourist attraction and a Christmas tourist spot showcasing the best Christmas decorations in town. Definitely a must-see for any visitor to the country during the Christmas season.

Policarpio street is transformed into a glittering wonderland come Christmas season. The houses are wrapped in Christmas lights. Some rooftops have Santa Clauses and other Christmas toys displayed on them. Animated Christmas decorations adorn the facade of beautiful homes. One house includes a moving Belen or a nativity scene displaying how the the baby Jesus was born in a manger beside Mary and Joseph and the shepherds.

Most popular to visitors is the mansion of the Dalisay family which is literally covered with Christmas lights including their gazebo. Breathtaking in its lights display, a visit to Policarpio street is not complete without taking a family picture with this home as a background. It is said that the visual display is comparable to the Zigong Lantern Festival in China and the London Lantern Boulevard in England.

The Dalisay mansion is also called the "House of Santa" where the young and the young at heart can marvel at the various displays of Santa Claus statues in various kinds and sizes, considered one of the largest collections of Santa Claus items.

After being dazzled by all the lights and displays, visitors can take a break and check out the bazaars and food stalls offering Filipino delicacies lining the entire stretch of Policarpio street. Other stalls are located in the garage of several houses selling various items including home and kitchen items, toys, and children's clothes.

The Christmas street was conceptualized in 1995 by the Residents Association of Policarpio to honor the Filipino Christmas tradition of decorating their homes to usher in the Christmas atmosphere. As the years passed, the families participating in this endeavor decided to share and spread the Christmas cheer by allowing the public to view their homes. Every year, more and more people are coming to know of this beautiful street that comes alive and bright during the Christmas season. The Christmas street is open for viewing from six in the evening until midnight for the whole duration of the holiday season.

To get to Policarpio street, you may hire a cab to take you to this famous spot in Mandaluyong. From EDSA main highway, you may take Boni Avenue. Policarpio street is after the Mandaluyong City Hall. Streets in Mandaluyong especially along Boni Avenue is labeled with big green signages on the posts. You can take F. Ortigas or P.Cruz street. From there you can ask around and people will surely point you the right direction.

Discover the Giant Lanterns of Pampanga

Coming from the beautiful Christmas street in Mandaluyong city, a guest must then proceed to the "Christmas capital" of the Philippines. Considered as the home of the giant lanterns, San Fernando city in Pampanga province holds the Giant Lantern Festival where it displays the province's innovative, intricately designed lanterns made of native materials like Capiz shells.

Visitors from all over the country flock to the town of San Fernando to see the giant lanterns paraded along the City Hall during the Christmas season, around the third week of December.

While traveling 2-hours along the North Luzon Express Way on the way to the province which is north of Manila, visitors will already enjoy a unique display of parols adorning the homes and streets in the country. The parol or Christmas lantern is a unique and traditional Filipino Christmas decoration.

The making of parols dates back to the time when the Spanish colonized the Philippines. The original parol was in the shape of a star which symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem present on the night when Jesus was born. The star lantern was used in the past to light the way for the people going to Church during the late night masses. The star lanterns also gave the warm light needed during dark December evenings. The parols were then made of simple materials such as bamboo and translucent paper.

The use of sea shells instead of plastic or paper to cover the parol made the Christmas lanterns more sturdy and fireproof. The shells that local craftsmen used came from a town called Capiz in the island of Panay in the Visayas region. The shells where widely used for window panes and was also a good material for the making of parols. From the original lantern made of paper, the Capiz parols are now widely available commercially with lights coming from electric bulbs or controlled by a micro-circuit.

Lantern makers in Pampanga, have taken the traditional art of parol-making to a higher level, producing huge lanterns that are intricately designed with amazing, rhythmic lighting. The lanterns made in Pampanga are elaborate and large, some spanning 40 feet. Each giant lantern can include up to 5,000 individual light cells and circuits, and can cost over P300,000. However, there are lanterns assembled that are readily available in the local market at affordable prizes, around P2,000 to P3,000, and can last for many years.

From the simple five-pointed star lantern, the parol has evolved into other shapes like a rose, bromeliad, snowflakes and sea urchin among other shapes. They are made from Japanese paper, softdrink straws, wood, plastic, glass, metal and capiz shells and other native materials. Each lantern is a beautiful work of traditional folk art.

The star lanterns of Pampanga have become so large that they now measure up to 18 feet in diameter and are mounted on trucks so that they can be put on parade. These masterpieces take almost an entire year to complete. Each lantern can weigh over 1,000 kilograms and requires at least 50 people to assemble it.

During the Giant Lantern Festival, the beautiful lanterns are paraded accompanied by marching bands. The colorful lighting designs is synchronized with music, producing a unique and wonderful sound and light show. The Grand Lantern Festival is such a grand parade that the whole city comes out to watch.

After midnight mass, there is a presentation ceremony to the maker of the most beautiful lantern.
The San Fernando Giant Lantern Festival originated in 1904 when the beautiful lanterns were only 2 feet in diameter and lighted by candles. Through the years, the tradition of lantern making grew. In 1928, history records that a lantern-making competition was held in honor of Manuel L. Quezon, the first president of the Philippines.

Since then, the Filipino parol has never failed to uplift the spirit and instill a sense of pride and hope in the Filipino people. It not only brightens Christmas in the Philippines but also serves as an inspiration to the Filipino ingenuity and creativity shared with friends from across the seas every Christmas season.

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