When the month of December started, the countdown for the Christmas celebration also began. Well, who else isn’t excited for this once a year celebration. As you can see everyone is very excited with the gift giving articles I have read for the past days. And honestly I am enjoying reading those virtual gifts and the reasons behind it. The feeling of excitement I am feeling each day is growing, although I know Christmas this year wouldn’t be the same because someone is missing. The head of our home can’t make it this year because he had to finished his contract first. We’ll surely missed him a lot in this year’s celebration.
So for today’s blog I would like to tackle things that is still related to Christmas. These are some of the Filipino traditions we’ve been doing for the past years every christmas holidays. We missed some of it last year due to some restrictions that need to be followed and hopefully this year we will be able to do some of it.
Simbang Gabi is one of the oldest tradition we’ve been doing for years. For my non Filipino readers simbang gabi or night mass is a devotional nine day series practiced by Filipino Catholics. It’s usually done in the dawn of December 16 up until December 24. Well as for me who hates waking up early in the morning, I opted to attend the anticipated “simbang gabi” at night. I find it more convenient and without any hassle of being sleepy inside the church. There’s this rumor that whenever you complete the nine days without being absent, you can make a wish and it will come true. Have you done it guys?
So after attending the “simbang gabi” what’s next? Well the sweetest bibingka and puto bumbong is waiting outside the church. Who wouldn’t like these sweet and delectable foods. Again I missed eating these last year, that’s why about last week, one of our neighbor offered me that his mother is making some made to order bibingka and puto bumbong for snacks. I ordered right away and the next day, we had it for our snacks. It was really yummy and when I posted it in my noise account everyone was commenting that they were craving for that too.
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I am pretty sure this is one of the best memories I had back when I was a kid. With a just makeshift intrument such as tambourine which is made from tansan (bottle cap) and some christmas carols song you’re off to go. I remember being with some childhood friends and sometimes with my cousins. We spent the night going from different houses within our barangay and collected some money. After the night is done, we divided the collected money and planned our next gig for tomorrow.😅
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Christmas won’t be the same without any parties and all. The thing I love during christmas party aside from load of foods is the exchange gift. Who would never be excited with these “monito” and “monita” thingy. But as years goes by we became more innovative when it comes to exchanging gifts with our friends, families, and classmates. Gone are the days, that when you opened your gift you’ll find the usual photo albums, frames, handkerchiefs and other stuffs during exchanging gifts. Did you got those items too? But nevertheless, we should always remember that it’s the thought that comes not the value or price of the gifts.
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This time of the year served as the reunion for every family. Because of the busy days working though out the whole year, they find Christmas as the perfect time to gather and have some family gatherings. My husband’s family is quite big, so for the past years, they always set a date so we can be together most specially it became bigger because of the grandkids. And mostly kids were the happiest during this gathering they collected a huge amount of money from the elders.
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I truly missed these christmas traditions we have for years. And right now this is gonna be the second year that we’re gonna missed some of it. We must still stick with the health protocols that is being implemented this year. Now that our daily cases is doing good, I hope by next year we can fully get back to the things we’ve used to do. Advance Merry Christmas to all.
Lead Image is from Unsplash.
Kaya nga sis eh, di na natapos tapos🥺
Sana mka DORA na kmi next year sis..
Tiwala lang sis:), ako wala pa money kaya susunod na uling taon😁
Uo nga sis... Lagi nmn akong may tiwala para namn ma expose natin ang bakasyon.
sana back to normal na.. para uso na ulit ung simbang tabi.. :D
Kaya nga sir eh, kelan kaya to mangyayari?
sana soon. ehe
Puto bungbong talaga ang panalo. Ansarap pag madaming keso hehe. Minsan naglalagay din ako ng salt para may ibang lasa hehe.
kaya nga nakakamiss din. Anong lasa sis kapag may asin?😁
Super missing the family traditions too.. i want to make an article about it too...
Oo momshie, we’ve missed it last year🥺
Wow we have the same tradition, I also want to complete my simbang gabi 💖
Go! I wish everything will slowly get back to normal so that we can enjoy this coming holidays more:)
I miss the pre-pandemic days badly. Sana wala na tong covid nato next year at wala nang kung anu-anong variant ng sabon joke ang lumalabas..
hahaha! kaaasar ang iba ibang variant hahaha! let’s keep on praying sis🙏
Tama ka sis nakakamiss na ung dating celebration ng pasko
Dasal lang tayo at makakabalik din tayo sa dati🙏
Yes sis tiwala lng tlga
I been completed the mesa de gallo sis nung una dun pa ako sa cebu , tsaka simbang gabi dn nung last yr dto na sa province. I think nka apat na ako na complete ko to. Hoping dn sana this year na namn.😍 Awwe I cant wait christmas❤
Oo sis, ako din nacomplete ko sya kung kelan may mga anak na ako, dati kasi walang anticipated mass, tamad na tamad ako kapag madaling araw ang simba😁
I didn't know much about Christmas traditions. I knew something. Everyone knows that. But these things are new to me. But it was good to read. Because I found out about these things. I like things very much.
Hi my friend, these are things that we do here in our country for years every christmas. I am glad to share it with you:)
I hope this year's Christmas would be a fun filled one for us to enjoy ourselves with our loved ones and exchange gifts to our friends and well wishers.
I hope it too:) Let’s keep crossing our fingers together so this will happen
Namiss ko na yung exchange gift. pati na yung monito-monita, yung parang weekly na small exchange gifts lang na may something eklat eklat. hahahaha
Sinabi mo pa sis, nakakamiss yun, lalo kapag sa katrabaho mo ano, at ang pinakabongga jan yung paraffle draw, kaya lang di ako nananalo dun
Naalala ko talaga yung "Simbang Gabi" sis. Antok pa talaga ako tas may kumatok na sa pinto, mga classmates ko na pala Kasi lagi kami nagsisimbang Gabi. Mawala agad antok ko pag andyan sila. Yes sis, Yung caroling dami talagang memories sis nuh. Sobrang enjoy talaga. Di ko talaga makalimutan.
Hehe oo sis Christmas party. Yung exchanging gifts talaga. Naka receive na ako ng frames and handkerchiefs sis ilang ulit na.😅 Oo sis Christmas Reunions, gusto ko na talaga umuwi sis. Miss ko na family ko.
Hehehe! Included lahat sis, nakakamiss ano di natin naranasan yan last year dahil kay covid at sana ngayon mejo mag luwag luwag na. Di ka pa rin ba makakauwi this year?
Oo sis ako lang mag isa nag celebrate ng Christmas last year. Oo sis di pa rin ako makakauwi.🥺
Aw, san ka sa qc sis, gusto mo magpasko samin hahaha! malungkot din kami kasi wala si hubby🥺
Ang ganda naman sis. Sa Kalayaan ako sis. Kayo lang din pala diyan sis.
Gusto ko po tuloy balikan yung year 2018 to 2019, sobrang dabest yung pasko noon at wala papong pandemic. Ngayon po kasi halos walang ganap. Yung pinaka inaabangan kopo tuwing Christmas is Simbang Gabi at reunion ng family tsaka palitan po ng regalo haha pamasko narin po.😂 Merry Christmas po!
hahaha! naku bata ka pa naman beh, maraming ka pang Paskong mararanasan bawi na lang tayo sa mga susunod na taon:)
Ahhhh sis mag lalo ko ng na miss yung dari dahil dito... Nakakamiss talaga no sobra. Sana naman talaga ma tapos tapos na ang pandemic para mabalik pa ang ganapan tulad ng dati, lalo na ang simbang gabi, di pwedeng aabsent kahit isang simba lang kasi gutso ma grant ang wish. Christmas party sa cmbahan ay nako miss kona lahat yan
Oo nga eh, last year hindi ako nakapag simbang gabi, nung christmas nakaattend kami ng mass pero sa labas lang bawal kasi ang mga bata, eh alangan naman maiwan sila sa bahay, sana this time mejo omok na
I hope even though there's a pandemic, I wish that Christmas this year will become more happier and people will celebrate according to their capacity, this incoming days I'm gonna complete the simbang gabi even though I have no someone to accompany me,maybe it will become more memorable if I have girl beside me while holding her hands, just kidding.
Hahaha! So I guess my wish for you is that you’ll find your other half, don’t worry if I will be able to complete the simbang gabi, I’ll include your wish✌🏻 Anyway, I wish we’ll have a better celebration this year:)
Namiss ko na ang dating pasko sis.. Sana matapos na yang covid na yan.