Christmas in the Philippines & Christmas in Taiwan

Christmas in the Philippines

by Jamaine E. Evangelista

In most countries, Christmas is only a one-day festival during this month, but in the Philippines, it is the longest celebrated season. In fact, the Philippines celebrates Christmas the longest globally. As early as November, Christmas songs are already being played in schools or in malls, and people decorate their households and communities with gigantic Christmas trees, lights, and lanterns. Some children even hop from one house to another to sing Christmas carols in exchange of coins. Local government units and private institutions conduct Christmas-related contests, too.

 Excitingly, “Christmas Party” opens the door for a two-week Christmas vacation in the country. Everybody actually gets busy during this period. Shopping malls are always full of people who grab gifts for their loved ones. Simbang gabi, a Roman Catholic ritual, is a tradition that most Filipino families follow even now. They consistently wake up by four in the morning just to attend the nine-day mass that culminates on December 24th.After each mass, Filipinos enjoy distinct Christmas food like puto bumbong (purple rice cake steamed in bamboo tubes), tsokolate (hot chocolate drink with fresh cow’s milk), bibingka ( glutinous rice cake cooked in a charcoal oven lined with banana leaves), and salabat (ginger tea with coconut sugar), which are sold outside the churches.

The most anticipated way of how Filipinos celebrate this season is staying up late on 24th for the night-long “Noche Buena”, a Christmas Eve dinner with the whole family. Hamon (smoked pork leg), Queso de bola (cheese), and lechon (suckling pig) are the typical Christmas food you can see on the dining table. While enjoying their sumptuous meal, Filipinos also exchange gifts, play games, and express wishes to celebrate this season with full of joy and gratitude. TheChristmas celebrations extend to the first Sunday in January when the feast of Three Kings is commemorated.

Truly, spending the Christmas season in the Philippines with a Filipino family is remarkable. It is the best time to feel their generous spirit, to experience their famous brand of hospitality, and to witness their genuine dedication to family.

Christmas in Taiwan

In Taiwan, we do not treat Christmas as a holiday, but some people still hold activities to celebrate it, such as organizing Christmas markets, Christmas tree decoration contests, and gift exchange games. Among them, my favorite, which is also the most popular among Taiwanese, is gift exchange game. For those who have not tried it, when playing this game, you have to prepare a present for each other. After buying the gift, you need to mark the presents with different numbers. Consequently, you draw a number corresponding to the number on the gifts. It is a simple game, but it always brings a joyful moment. Regardless of what you get, the most important part of the event is to gather with your loved ones and make a remarkable experience with them on this warm-hearted day.

601班黃振語

Christmas is a well-known Christian holiday set in December, celebrated the world over and famed for its decorations and Santa Claus. Before, it was mainly the festival of Christians. But in today’s time, Christmas has surpassed the religious boundaries and become a symbol of the holistic culture. Usually, the celebration begins much earlier and continues around 2 weeks till the main day. However, some countries, like Taiwan for example, due to the overall culture, only celebrate on the main day. Normally, people would have a long holiday in December because of Christmas. Similar to Chinese New Year, the holidays are for people to go back to their family and share the joy together. In Taiwan, this is not the case. Taiwan doesn’t have national holidays for Christmas, so people who celebrate it usually just celebrate with their friends or by themselves. Going out for dinner or participate in “Christmas Land” in New Taipei City is usually what most Taiwanese do. Personally, I’m thankful to have the privilege of experiencing a real Christmas when I was in Canada a few years back. Having experience with both occasions, I can safely say that both holidays are for family to reunite for a lavish dinner and share the joy together.

601班蔡承諺

After Mr. Armon’s English listening class, I realized that Christmas is not only a religious holiday but also a national holiday in other Western countries and not just in the US. Teacher Armon then taught us about how Christmas is celebrated in the US. I used to think that the Christmas tree was just used as an ornament to decorate the home during Christmas. I thought they were all fake. I was surprised to learn that the Christmas tree came from an evergreen tree also known as the fir tree. It was a fascinating lesson. We then had fun and learned more about Christmas words when the whole class played Christmas bingo.After class, we were treated to junior high students singing Christmas carols followed by an appearance by Santa (the principal) himself passing out candy and wishing everyone a happy holiday! The carolers walked up to my classmates and me to give us all high-fives. I was very happy that someone high-fived me. Merry Christmas!

405班 蔡宏逸

During Mr. Armon’s Christmas activity class, I learned about Christmas culture in other countries. Christmas is a special holiday in the West. The Christmas story started with the birth of Jesus as a religious holiday for Christians. I learned about the name “Christmas” itself tells you its own meaning. Christ equals Jesus, mas (mass) equals prayer. So December 25th is a day for Christians to pray to Jesus. Teacher Armon said that you don’t have to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas. You can enjoy the holiday any way you like it. It’s the spirit of giving that matters. Teacher Armon explained a lot about the history and activities that people do on Dec. 25th. He also told us that all of Santa’s reindeers have names. He played the song about Rudolph, which everyone knows about that reindeer, and all of their names are said in the first few seconds of the song. Sadly, I forgot all of the names again. We then played Christmas bingo. My bingo card was not lucky enough to win. So sad, but Teacher Armon gave us candy anyway. So happy. Last but not least, 300-level students came over to sing us Christmas songs after class! It was a fun class.

405班 施彥廷

Christmas is here! The holiday that lots of kids have been waiting for a long time. In Mr. Armon’s class this past week, we learned some Christmas customs and culture in the USA. What impressed me the most was when I was told by Mr. Armon that people in the US decorate their homes with Christmas lights and decorations. From the photos and videos, it looked like the houses were blindingly bright. It must be really beautiful to see it in person on cold winter nights. I think if this happened in Taiwan, neighbors would probably complain. Maybe even call the police. I learned that on Christmas Eve and Day, families will get together and have Christmas dinner, and exchange gifts. Some also spend time with their boy/girls friends. What a romantic holiday! I want to wish everyone a healthy and safe new year and Merry Xmas!

404班林思瑜