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This is the Braga family. Last weekend, they raced against time-because they were late for the Christmas tree. It was September 3rd.
“For us, this tree should grow before September 1. This is a family tradition we grew up in the Philippines, passed down from generation to generation,” said Mark Braga, a Filipino expat who lives with his wife Aisa. Mark Buraga) said. , Their two children, and his sister-in-law in Dubai.
Philippine Christmas begins in the month of -Ber and lasts for about 128 days until the Three Kings Festival, sometimes even reaching 166 days. See how long this holiday is:
At this time of the year, the countdown has already begun in the Philippines. Lanterns will illuminate the streets and balconies. Carols will echo in shopping malls, jeeps and community shops.
And a specific song will be played everywhere:
The song from 1990 is called Christmas in our hearts It has become so iconic that Jose Mari Chan, the musician who wrote and recorded the song, appeared as a meme on almost every Filipino’s social media in September:
BERMONTHS NA! ! It’s time to make JOSE MARI CHAN shine! ! pic.twitter.com/y63aeTg4aH
-Aries (@beeaayaa) August 31, 2021
Expats believe that one quarter of the extension of Christmas celebrations to more than one year stems from the sunny character of Filipinos and their ability to find and create happiness from the ordinary.
“Although we may encounter this situation, we Filipinos are one of the happiest people. And Christmas is the happiest season of the year. Every time it appears, we hope that it will never end. “Minerva Maer, an architect in Dubai, said. Even her daughter Francine keeps this tradition in mind:
“We hope that this special, caring and fun spirit will last longer,” said life coach Lou Olvido Parroco, who made sure that every member of her family participates in the annual tree light event.
Nesty Amante, an engineer in Dubai, is also proud of this custom. Last Saturday, he and his wife Dyan were excited to put a beige, white and silver Christmas tree on their little boy. When asked why they started the season early, the couple said:
>> Tracing to the source
However, what many Filipinos don’t know is that this custom may be more than they thought.
Anthropologist Felipe Jocano Jr said that it may develop with the development of commercialization, and the mall encourages the community to start shopping as soon as possible.
“Merchants could have considered launching early promotions, which would encourage more people to buy gifts in advance. This could also be a way to reduce inventory,” he said.
But Filipino-American historian Kirby Pábalan-Táyag Aráullo believes that although this marketing gimmick “makes sense,” some elders and scholars say that The practice existed even before the rise of shopping malls.
Araulo says that it can be traced back to the pre-colonial era-as early as 1521 before the Spanish expedition explorers brought Christianity to the country.
“(In the Philippines,) September coincides with the arrival of North Wind Amian, which, for our ancestors, marks the beginning of the festival of rebirth and reconstruction… and the end of the typhoon season,” Alau Luo explained A video blog He shared it on YouTube in 2019.
The September wind usually lasts until February, but with the arrival of the “sacred birds”, they will eat all the locusts and pests in the field, thus saving the rice harvest for the rest of the year-obviously a reason to celebrate , He added.
When Christianity came, many traditional celebrations survived. Araullo, who is also a cultural carrier and content creator, gave a few examples:
>> Bringing tradition to the UAE
In the 14 years of living in the UAE, the Braga family has never skipped Christmas preparations in September, especially now they have two children in the family.
“We hope that children can enjoy it and remember it as we do, so they can preserve this tradition for the next generation,” said Cyreen Angolluan, Mark’s sister-in-law engineer.
At the Christmas opening ceremony for the whole family this year, their five-year-old Lucio played the most important role:
“Since I was a child, my parents have ensured that the youngest child in the family is in charge of the Christmas star. So, we still do this now,” Cyreen said.
Filipinos in every corner of the world will agree that there is nothing better than going home for the holidays. Therefore, when flying to Manila becomes challenging due to the pandemic, expats make every effort to recreate the mood, atmosphere and spirit.
“We are still looking for creative ways to feel at home. We exchange gifts, cook traditional dishes, and participate Night mass The crowd is online. We can celebrate from afar because the spirit of Christmas is always in our hearts,” Amant said.
For the Maer family, their Christmas tree is the antidote to the fear and uncertainty that Covid-19 will bring in 2020. “We erected it in September last year because for us it was a symbol of hope and a reminder from God that it is bigger than any epidemic,” Minerva said.
Parroco agreed. He said: “I think Covid-19 has allowed us to reflect more deeply. Life is really precious and very short. Therefore, we must strive to live every day of our lives like Christmas.”
kirstin@khaleejtimes.com
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