This question has been bugging me, do Filipino kids truly believe in Santa Claus the way their western counterparts believe in the guy in the red suit bearing gifts? The belief in the west is that from the North Pole on Christmas Eve, December 24, Santa Claus will travel the world over and will descend on houses of good boys and good girls to give gifts. Santa will cruise on his sleigh being pulled by his 8 reindeers, namely rudolph, comet, prancer, dasher, blitzen, cupid, dancer, vixen, donner. He will come carrying a big, huge bag with all the gifts created and made by the elves. If a child is good, Santa will go down the chimney and then leave a gift for the child under the Christmas tree. Santa will also eat the cookies and drink the milk left by the kid under the tree the night before. After which, Santa Claus is now off to the next house on his list. Santa will do this for all the countries with good boys and good girls and he must complete the ...
Filipino Christmas Tradition
Simbang Gabi Pre-Dawn Masses – A Filipino Christmas Tradition
In the Philippines, one tradition that clearly marks or symbolizes Christmas is the ‘Simbang Gabi’. The literal translation of Simbang Gabi is “Night Mass”. Catholic Filipinos attend mass for nine straight days. These masses are held at the break of dawn, with some service as early as 4 AM. This Paskong Pinoy tradition started when the Philippines was under Spanish colonial rule. At its start, the masses were celebrated at night, hence it's named 'Simbang Gabi'. Later on the churches adjusted the service schedule to early dawn, this is to accommodate the countless natives who needs to sleep early and wake up early to tend to the farms. Simbang Gabi Starts in the Philippines Simbang Gabi starts on December 16 and ends in December 24 of every year. This is the time when churches all over the Philippines are jam-pack with the crowd even extending outside so early in the morning. Families, couples, friends, whole communities come together to hear mass, pray for their ...