Christmas in Manila by Grant Leishman
Having first visited The Philippines in 1993 and now, having lived here permanently since 2011, I have always been taken by the fervour with which Filipinos embrace the spirit and excitement of Christmas. There is a saying here: once the “ber” months arrive, it is time to start celebrating Christmas. To a New Zealander, even thinking about Christmas prior to December was always an absolute no-no and a subject that should never be raised. Not so here! Here there is an almost childlike excitement, even among the adults, about Christmas and its meaning and importance. Having studied Filipino culture as an “outsider” for a couple of decades now, I think I know part of the reason for this.
Century, at least nominally, around 90% of the over one hundred million Filipinos profess to be Catholic. This means the Cathedrals and Churches are packed at Christmas time, with the “Simbang Gabi”, being the nine masses prior to Christmas, having an enormous impact. As a religious festival, Christmas still holds much power over these people. The second main reason for the celebration and indeed the great pleasure Filipinos take from all holidays is it gives them a break from the daily grind of life here. In 2015, it was estimated over 20% of the population lived under the poverty line. This is still a developing country, besieged by corruption in power, and for many Filipinos daily survival for them and their family is their first priority. Holidays offer the opportunity to forget the travails of daily life, to kick back and enjoy the celebration and to do what Filipinos love most; eat and chat. Many Filipinos families may be poor, but they will always share whatever little they have with you, especially at Christmas.
Firstly, Christmas, as a religious celebration has much meaning to the majority of Filipinos. Yes, this is a multi-cultural society, with a significant Muslim population, especially in the south of the country, but it is also deeply rooted in the Catholicism brought to these islands by the Spanish invaders in 1565, where the brown-robed Friars The third reason why Christmas means held sway over the population, until the so much to the Filipinos is family. The Spanish defeat in the Battle of Manila extended family unit is the most powerful Bay, by the Americans in 1898. Whilst, political and social force in this country. modern influences may have eroded the The order of loyalty is as follows, in my power of the Church in the Twenty-First opinion: family, barangay, city, province, - 18 -
