Holy Week Traditions and Beliefs

The Holy week is coming up and if I am in Philippines, I will be observing it well. Usually, we go to church for a vigil on the night when Christ is dead. That is Good Friday. My parents used to tell me to be careful because Christ is dead. If you get hurt like having wounds, it will take a long time to heal. We believed that and we were so behaved and scared. Maybe Mom told us that for us to be good. Cause for the Holy week, we need to reflect ourselves and ask forgiveness. We even forbid ourselves from doing the fun things for Christ is suffering and we need to at least give up something that we love to do for just a few days. Some people will give up meat, games, and delicious food. So when Good Friday comes, we only have Tabirak or benegnet for food, no meat. It is similar to porridge but with sweet potatoes, banana, coconut milk, jackfruit, corn flour and sugar. We also stay at home and avoid going anywhere. The streets are so quiet and there are only a few businesses which are opened. When Sunday comes, that is the day that we rejoice because it is the day that Christ has risen. People go to church early in the morning and join the people walking around the city proper with flowers in their hands. The flowers come from the bouquet prepared for Christ's rebulto (statue). Only a few can get it so sometimes it creates chaos because they are pushing each other just to get it. They say, the flowers are holy, it can be used to cure diseases if soaked in water and drink it. My Dad used to get some of those flowers and offered it to our altar. We only celebrate that and we don't have Easter Sunday (some do that). Oh I miss it!

The Feast of Sto Nino de Cebu

Philippines has a lot of festivals to celebrate and one of them is the feast of Sto. Nino which was celebrated last Sunday, January 25. Not all places in Philippines celebrate the saint's day. Only for those places who have Sto. Nino as their patron. Cebu is one of the main city that celebrates it. They always have a big feast with street dancing and more. Tourists from all over the world gather there just to witness the celebration and Filipinos as well from different parts of Philippines. In my hometown, Iligan City, there is a barangay that celebrates the feast since Sto. Nino is also the patron. It is barangay Mahayahay where I grew up and lived. Like Cebu City, we have activities but not as grand as Cebu. Since we are far from our homeland, all my Filipino friends with our husbands gather here to say and offer some prayers, novena and a mass. We always hold it at a friend's house. We always observe important holidays like this wherever we might be. We always remember our home land and its holidays. Viva Sto Nino!

Merry Christmas to All!

Philippine Christmas Song (practice) sang by my Co-teachers during the Faculty Christmas Party

Christmas here is really different from what I got used to. In Philippines, Christmas starts as early as November. They say that when a month ends with -er, it is Christmas season already. That is why, some people decorate Christmas decors in September but mostly, decorating starts in November. All the schools, homes and other establishments feel the Christmas spirit when decorations are displayed. It is the same here in US, people start to decorate in late November but still I can feel the difference in celebrating Christmas here. Maybe people are too busy with work and we don't have much time visiting our friends here. All my friends are miles away from where I live and every one's busy with their own chores. I miss my hometown so much, I miss my family and friends. Especially this Holiday season, friends and family are always together and people share the warmth of Christmas joyfully.

Every 16th of December, people start carolling in our neighborhood but some people start earlier. All the kids will form a group and bring their spoons, forks or tin cans to use as their musical instruments for carolling. I like the cute kids singing the Christmas songs in their own tune and words. A peso will make them happy and they will always sing "Thank you, ang babait ninyo, thank you! (You are so kind, thank You) and run, looking for another house. I remember when I was a kid, my mom had asked me to go to a store and buy something one night. But what I did, before I bought the thing that Mom asked me to buy, I sang a Christmas song first for the store owner and he gave me some coins. He knew me since he was my brother's Godparent and our neighbor. They enjoyed listening to my song and they laughed because after that, I spent the coins he gave me and bought candies from his store. I almost forgot to buy what my Mom asked me. There are kids like me even today. They like a "solo flight" as what we call it for carollers who are alone or on their own. Thinking what I did makes me chuckle. It was a funny experience :) I didn't care before, as long that I have sang my song heartily and I have something in return. When I grew up, I sang with friends, co-teachers and co-club members. We received more from the residents because we gave them a letter informing them why we did the carolling and for what purpose we will use the money.

The other things that I miss are the fireworks and the Noche Buena (Midnight Dinner). When midnight of the 24th comes, parents will wake up their children for the noche buena and to witness the firecrackers and fireworks display. People are too busy with their own fireworks too that some end up in the hospital. We used to stay up till dusk and spent the whole time chatting and eating. The guys will drink and play with fire crackers. But here, there are no fireworks or firecrackers because these are not allowed for use. Residents are only allowed to play with fireworks every Independence day (June) which is really opposite to Philippines' tradition. I really miss those days... It makes me home-sick. Last Christmas here, hubby and I planned to have a noche buena but he was sick so as what most Americans usually do, we just slept after opening our gifts and heard no sound in our surrounding. But this year, I will try our best to prepare for Noche Buena. I want this year a very merry Christmas for us. I wish a merry Christmas to all of you too!