50 Fun Facts About Christmas in the Philippines

What is the September-to-December Christmas stretch in the Philippines popularly called?

Carols and decorations appear as early as August, which is why the season is called the world's longest.

The Filipino word Pasko ultimately derives from a Spanish phrase meaning what?

"Pascua de navidad" lost its second half; pascua itself traces back through Latin to the Greek word for Passover.

Where did the first documented Philippine Christmas celebration take place, in 1565?

It came shortly after Legazpi founded the first permanent Spanish settlement there.

A disputed legend says a friar named Odoric held a Christmas Mass in Bolinao in what year?

Historians Ambeth Ocampo and William Henry Scott reject it, though a plaque went up at Bolinao Church in 2007.

Simbang Gabi is a series of how many dawn Masses leading up to Christmas?

They run from December 16 to 24, and folk belief says completing all of them grants a wish.

Why were the dawn Masses shifted from late night to early morning in the 18th century?

The timing coincided with crowing roosters, giving rise to the name Misa de Gallo.

Misa de Gallo translates as whose Mass?

The name is also used for the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve that closes the novena.

Which two rice delicacies are the classic post-Simbang Gabi treats sold outside churches?

They are served with butter, sugar and grated coconut, often with tsokolate or salabat.

What is the name of the midnight feast after the Christmas Eve Mass?

The Spanish phrase means "night of goodness"; the New Year's Eve counterpart is called medianoche.

Queso de bola, the Christmas cheese ball, is what kind of cheese?

Its red wax coat makes it a Christmas Eve fixture; queso de bola cheesecake is a modern spin.

What is the gesture of pressing an elder's hand to your forehead called?

You say "mano po" and the elder usually answers with a blessing and often a cash gift.

The cash gift a godparent gives a godchild at Christmas is called what?

Godparents, ninong and ninang, customarily give more than other relatives do.

The parol lantern represents what?

The word comes from Spanish farol, "lantern"; early ones were bamboo and Japanese paper lit by candles or coconut oil.

Which city hosts the Giant Lantern Festival and is called the country's Christmas Capital?

The Ligligan Parul shows off huge motorised lanterns with synchronised lights and music.

Which shell is traditionally used to make the more elaborate parols?

Designs evolved from crêpe paper and cellophane to capiz, plastic and electric lights.

The belen, the Filipino nativity scene, takes its name from the Spanish word for what?

Both the belen and the parol predate the Christmas tree, which arrived in the American period.

Which city's Belenismo contest has earned it the title "Belen Capital of the Philippines"?

The annual "Belenismo sa Tarlac" pits residents and institutions against each other in nativity-building.

Which department store's mechanised belen became a famous Manila attraction from 1952?

It moved to Greenhills after the store closed in 2002 and returned to Cubao in 2018.

Which singer-songwriter owns the season thanks to "Christmas in Our Hearts"?

His face is a running joke every September as malls start playing the song.

"Ang Pasko ay Sumapit" was originally composed in 1933 in which language?

It began as "Kasadya ning Táknaa" by Vicente Rubi and Mariano Vestil; Levi Celerio later adapted it.

Who composed "Payapang Daigdig" in 1946, in the aftermath of World War II?

The same composer wrote "Noche Buena" and "Pasko Na Naman" with lyricist Levi Celerio.

Who sang the popular "Pasko Na, Sinta Ko", composed by Francis Dandan?

"Sana Ngayong Pasko", by Jimmy Borja, was popularised by Ariel Rivera.

Which band recorded "Tuloy Na Tuloy Pa Rin ang Pasko"?

"Star ng Pasko" came from ABS-CBN's 2009 Christmas station ID, sung by the network's artists.

What is the Filipino version of Secret Santa called?

The names are Spanish for "little brother" and "little sister", though they also literally mean "little monkey".

The nativity pageant in which Joseph and Mary seek lodging house to house is called what?

It is related to the Mexican Las Posadas and ends at the church belen before midnight Mass.

December 28, Niños Inocentes, is traditionally marked in the Philippines by what?

A classic prank is borrowing money you never mean to repay, then shouting "Na-Niños Inocentes ka!"

How many round fruits are traditionally set out for the New Year's Eve medianoche?

Round shapes mean good fortune; pancit is for long life and sticky biko for family togetherness.

What is the name of the long-running New Year's firecracker safety campaign?

Authorities push community fireworks displays instead of home firecrackers to cut injuries and smog.

Three Kings' Day is also known in some areas as Pasko ng Matatanda, meaning what?

Some children still leave shoes out for the Three Kings, though the custom is fading.

The Feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9 centres on which Manila district?

The date marks the 1787 Traslacion of the image to Quiapo Church; the CBCP made it a formal feast in 2024.

Popular celebrations last until the feast of the Santo Niño on which Sunday of January?

Festivals in Cebu, Aklan and Iloilo all honour the Holy Child that weekend.

Which Cebu festival honours the Santo Niño in January?

Dinagyang is Iloilo's and Ati-Atihan is Aklan's; all three extend the Christmas season.

In older tradition the season ran to the feast of Our Lady of Candelaria, enshrined where?

Candlemas marks the Presentation at the Temple, and decorations traditionally came down that day.

The Metro Manila Film Festival opens on which day of December every year?

Founded in 1975, it shows only Filipino films and bans foreign screenings for its run.

Which holiday elements did American rule introduce to the Philippines after 1898?

Department-store window displays in Manila became a seasonal attraction in the same era.

Besides the Philippines, which is the only other predominantly Catholic country in Asia?

Catholic majorities help explain why the Filipino season is so long and so public.

Philippine law requires 13th-month pay to be released on or before which day of December?

Together with OFW remittances and bonuses it fuels the year's biggest spending spree.

A 2021 estimate put expected Christmas outlays per Filipino household at roughly how much?

Surveys find families spend more than triple their monthly income over the holidays.

What do economists call the post-December spending slump and debt repayment period?

Banks and agencies issue budgeting reminders as households cut back.

Paskuhan Village, a Christmas-themed park opened in 1990, is located in which city?

It showcased lantern-making; its operations have declined and redevelopment has been proposed.

Which church rejects Christmas as non-biblical and holds a year-end Thanksgiving instead?

A 2016 PBA game at the Philippine Arena even dropped Christmas greetings and music out of respect.

Which Filipino word describes a caroller going house to house for coins?

Pamamasko also means children visiting godparents after Christmas Mass to sing for gifts.

What is Christmas Eve called in Filipino?

The word comes from Spanish vísperas; Christmas Day is Araw ng Pasko.

Which grilled sticky-rice cake is a Christmas speciality of Ilocos and Pangasinan?

Ilocano tinubong, rice cake cooked in bamboo, is another regional favourite.

Which Kapampangan festive rice dish is a local cousin of paella served at Christmas?

Arroz a la valenciana and paelya are the other festive rice dishes on the Christmas table.

Under Philippine law, what kind of holiday is Christmas Eve?

Christmas Day itself is a regular non-working holiday.

The Simbang Gabi tradition reached the Philippines from Spain via which route?

The practice spread through Latin America before crossing the Pacific.

What colloquial term describes the grassroots, exuberant style of Filipino Christmas?

The Church counters that the liturgical season runs only from Advent to the Epiphany.

Where did internees mark Christmas with Red Cross parcels during the Japanese occupation?

Parcels sometimes held butter and chocolate, a rare holiday relief amid blackouts and shortages.

The Philippine feast of the Epiphany moved to the Sunday after New Year following what?

Before that it was fixed on January 6, as it still is in some countries.