Christmas Past

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Whenever the month of December comes almost everyone think of the Christmas holidays. I used to look forward to this joyous celebration years and years ago when it still meant so much to me. But through the years ever since I left the old country, the essence of this significant occasion has lost its meaning on me.

What a disappointment, too, when I reminisce my first Christmas here in Canada. It was so much different from how we celebrate it back home. Here, Christmases are as cold as old man winter. To Canadians and, most likely, Americans for that matter, celebrating the birth of the Messiah is nothing more than putting up the Christmas lights and tree, giving and receiving gifts, listening to Christmas songs and having Christmas parties, which are all well and good, don't get me wrong. But I still miss some specific components that just wouldn't be Christmas without them. Here's the things I remember most of the happiest christmases of my childhood in the Philippines.

The first real sign that the Christmas season has began is the noticeable change in weather as reflected in one of the memorable Tagalog song that begins: "Malamig ang simoy ng hangin..." This cool breeze is usually a welcome respite from the extremely hot weather that we almost experience year-round except from December to February which are considered the coolest months of the year.

The visual reminders that signifies Christmas is indeed around the corner are the appearance of our traditional parol or the Christmas star (the star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi or wise men to baby Jesus) the most intricately-made and beautiful designs of which comes from the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga although the former is more renowned as the producer of the sometimes deadly fireworks we just can't do without to usher in the coming new year.

Another traditional Filipino Christmas fixture are the street carolers. From the scrubby children of the streets with their home-made percussion of stringed bottle caps to organize choirs who go from house to house either pre-arranged or unannounced, the Christmas experience is not complete without being unexpectedly serenaded by these carolers who sometimes come at the most unholy time like during dinner or entertaining visitors, for instance.

And there's also the observance of simbang gabi although its not literally an evening church service so much as an early morning mass usually around four in the morning. It commences on the 9th of December and end on the 24th. I loved going to hear the morning mass even if I'm still sleepy because afterwards we get to eat the best breakfast at this time of the year consisting of bibingka, puto bumbong and salabat. Ahhh... yummy.

The highlight of Filipino Christmas for me is the noche buena (not to be confused with the media noche on New Year's eve) on the 24th. We usually attend the 11 o'clock p.m. mass and come home at midnight to a hearty feast that is a culinary delight to behold. This consists of the traditional queso de bola, jamon, fruit salad, gulaman, pancit or spaghetti, lechon manok, different rice cakes and fruits, etc. We open gifts afterwards and spent the few precious moments enjoying each other's company and thankful for another safe year.

Christmas day when we were little kids meant being able to don our best dresses. It also meant visiting our ninongs and ninangs (godfathers & godmothers) to kiss their hands (pagmamano) and more importantly, expecting our aguinaldos (gifts).

But more than anything else, the true essence of Christmas for me is being with my family. Unfortunately, the last Christmas I remember that I spent with my whole family was way back in 1992 or ten years ago. The following year my parents and youngest brother left for the U.S. Since then, we observed the holidays in different countries. Us here in Canada, my parents in the states, and my brothers in Japan and Thailand. So now you understand why Christmas is not the same for me anymore. I can only think of happy times from my Christmas past.

Edgar Millan

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