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Maligayang Pasko! The Wonder of a Philippine Christmas photo by By Manilaspirit (via Wikipedia Commons)

Maligayang Pasko! The Wonder of a Philippine Christmas

by : Becky Johnson posted :

December is the start of the dry season in the Philippines and kicks off one of the best times to plan an epic vacation with Uncharted Philippines. However, December in the Philippines is also special because no people on earth do Christmas like the Filipino people. Prepare to be dazzled and amazed by all the exciting events you can experience during the holiday season.


Nativity in the City of Laoag photo by Marlon E (via Flickr)
Nativity in the City of Laoag

The World’s Longest Christmas Season

As one of the only predominantly Christian countries in Asia, the Christmas season in the Philippines is special; and long. Christmas carols can be heard as early as September from those individuals who are feeling the Christmas spirit, and doesn’t end until sometime in January, depending on preference! Most celebrations of the season end with one of three feasts: Epiphany on January 6th (most Catholics), the feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9th, and some die-hard Christmas fans keep the party train going all the way until the Feast of Santo Nino on the third Sunday in January. That’s a lot of Christmas celebrating!


San Fernando Christmas Lantern Festival photo by Ramon FVelasquez (via Wikipedia Commons)
San Fernando Christmas Lantern Festival

The Parols of San Fernando

One of the most beautiful sights during the Christmas season is the Giant Lantern Festival in the city of San Fernando, dubbed the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.” The lanterns, called “parols” are symbolic of the star of Bethlehem. A smaller predecessor of the Giant Lantern Festival began in 1904. It was a simple competition to make beautiful Christmas lanterns for Lubenas, a nine-day novena before Christmas, with parades and festivities thrown in. With the introduction of electricity in 1931, the Giant Lantern Festival was born, with the light of these fantastic works of art representing hope in a dark season. The lanterns were initially made from bamboo and paper, but today they are crafted from steel and colored plastic. The parols of San Fernando are one of the sights you won’t want to miss.


Festival of Lights show at Ayala Triangle Garden photo by By Manilaspirit (via Wikipedia Commons)
Festival of Lights show at Ayala Triangle Garden

Festival of Lights Show

The Festival of Lights show is a magical holiday spectacle of light and music that runs daily, beginning in mid-November, in the Ayala Triangle Garden in Metro Manila. More than a million twinkling lights are precisely choreographed to medleys of holiday music, movie soundtracks, and even some famous Disney music, weaving a fantasy of magical Christmas entertainment and delighting the child in all of us. Visitors can also walk the grounds of the park and enjoy gourmet food and other live entertainment. In 2014, Conde Nast Traveler listed the Festival of Lights Show as one of the “World’s Best Christmas Lights.”


Night Mass photo by (http://davaocitybybattad.blogspot.co.uk)
Night Mass

Attending Mass & Making Wishes

Misa de Gallo, or Simbang Gabi in Tagalog, is a nine-day series of midnight masses beginning on December 16th and ending on Christmas Eve. Simbang Gabi is related to Lubenas but without the extra festivities. What Simbang Gabi does have is an opportunity to make a wish. It is a common folk belief that anyone who hears all nine of the masses will be granted a special wish by God. That’s possibly the best Christmas gift of all. After the last mass on Christmas Eve, families celebrate the birth of Christ with the holiday meal, called Noche Buena. Some of the traditional food of this feast includes lechón, pancit, fried chicken, jamón, queso de bola, arroz caldo and lumpia. Yum!


Experience the beauty, food and culture of a Philippine Christmas while traveling with Uncharted Philippines on any trek or tour. Discover the magic of the Philippines for yourself.

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