ALL ABOUT

CHRISTMAS

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated generally on December 25 as a religious and cultural holiday by billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide. Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.

The precise day of Jesus birth, which historians place between 7 and 2 BC, is unknown. In the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church first placed Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted also in the East. Theories advanced to explain that choice include that it falls exactly nine months after the Christian celebration of the conception of Jesus, or that it was selected to coincide with either the date of the Roman winter solstice or of some ancient winter festival.

The original date of the celebration in Eastern Christianity was January 6, in connection with Epiphany, and that is still the date of the celebration for the Armenian Apostolic Church and in Armenia, where it is a public holiday. As of 2011, there is a difference of 13 days between the Julian calendar and the more generally used Gregorian calendar. Those who use the Julian calendar or its equivalents thus celebrate December 25 and January 6 on what for the majority of people is January 7 and January 19. For this reason, Ethiopia celebrates Christmas, both as a Christian feast and as a public holiday on what in the Gregorian calendar is January 7.

Many of the popular celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly.

In addition, several figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and Santa Claus, among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

Etymology

The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass". It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes msse, a phrase first recorded in 1038. "Cristes" is from Greek Christos and "msse" is from Latin missa (the holy mass).

Celebration
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Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian countries, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday. Countries such as Japan and Korea, where Christmas is popular despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations and Christmas trees.

Date of celebration
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For centuries, Christian writers accepted that Christmas was the actual date on which Jesus was born. John Chrysostom preached a sermon in Antioch c. 386 which established the date of Christmas as December 25 on the Julian calendar since the conception of Jesus (Luke 1:26) had been announced during the sixth month of Elisabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist (Luke 1:10-13) as dated from the duties Zacharias performed on the Day of Atonement during the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar Ethanim or Tishri (Lev. 16:29, 1 Kings 8:2) which falls in SeptemberOctober.[

In the early 18th century, scholars began proposing alternative explanations. Isaac Newton argued that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with the winter solstice, which the Romans called bruma and celebrated on December 25. In 1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization" that debased the true church. In 1889, Louis Duchesne proposed that the date of Christmas was calculated as nine months after the Annunciation, the traditional date of the conception of Jesus, which itself was based on a traditional belief that he was conceived and crucified on the same date, 15 Nisan.

In the early 4th century, the church calendar contained Christmas on December 25 and other holidays placed on solar dates: "It is cosmic symbolism...which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the winter solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the summer solstice as that of John the Baptist, supplemented by the equinoxes as their respective dates of conception. While they were aware that pagans called this day the 'birthday' of Sol Invictus, this did not concern them and it did not play any role in their choice of date for Christmas," according to modern scholar S.E. Hijmans. y However, today, whether or not the birth date of Jesus is on December 25 is not considered to be an important issue among mainstream Christian denominations; rather, celebrating the coming of God into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity is considered to be the primary meaning of Christmas.
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Christmas in the Philippines

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Christmas in the Philippines, one of two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia (the other one being East Timor), is one of the biggest holidays in the archipelago. Plenty of Filipino Customs and Traditions make the Christmas Season in the Philippines an exciting and challenging affair. The country has earned the distinction of celebrating the world's longest Christmas season, with Christmas carols heard as early as September and the season lasting up until Epiphany, the feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9 or the Feast of the Santo Nio de Ceb held every third Sunday of January.

Activities
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There are various ethnic groups in the Philippines with different Christmas traditions. The following illustrates common activities for celebrating Christmas in the Philippines.

Christmas parties
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In urban areas, especially in Metro Manila, many offices organize Christmas parties, which are usually held during the second week of December, or right before schools and universities go on holiday. Common activities include Monito/Monita or Kris Kringle, song and dance numbers, a skit or play, and parlor games. Food is provided either through potluck, or via a pool of contributions to buy food.Some have fireworks display.

Misa de Gallo/Simbang Gabi Gallo/Simbang

Traditionally, Christmas Day in the Philippines is ushered in by the nine-day dawn and night masses that start on December 16. Known as the Misa de Gallo ("Rooster's Mass") in Spanish and in Filipino as Simbang Gabi, or "Night Mass", this novena of Masses is an important Filipino Christmas tradition. y These nine dawn Masses are also considered as a Novena by the Catholic and Aglipayan faithful. This refers to the practise of performing nine days of private or public devotion to obtain special graces. y In some parishes, the Simbang Gabi begins as early as three o'clock in the morning and another one at eight o' clock in the evening. Attendance at the nine Masses is meant to show the churchgoer's devotion and faith to God as well as to heighten anticipation for the Nativity of Jesus. A popular belief is that upon the devotee's completion of the nine Masses, a special wish made by him/her will be granted by God.
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After hearing Mass, Filipino families partake of traditional Filipino holiday fare sold outside the church, either within the church precincts or during breakfast at home. Vendors offer a wealth of native delicacies, including bibingka (rice flour and egg-based cake, cooked using coal burners above and under); put bumbng (a purple, sticky rice delicacy steamed in bamboo tubes, with brown sugar and shredded dried coconut meat served as condiments); salabt (hot ginger tea); or tsokolte (thick hot cocoa). These are the typical breakfast treats after Simbang Gabi. In some Aglipayan churches, the congregation is invited after Mass to partake of the "panit" (after-Mass snacks of delicacies with coffee or cocoa) at the house of the sponsor of the Mass. y In recent times, some Evangelical Christians and other independent denominations have adopted this practise by holding similar early morning services.
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Christmas Eve
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For Filipinos, Christmas Eve ("Bisperas ng Pasko") on December 24 is celebrated with the Midnight Mass, and immediately after, the muchanticipated Noche Buena the traditional Christmas Eve feast. Family members dine together at around midnight on traditional Noche Buena fare, which includes: queso de bola (Spanish: "ball of cheese"; this is actually edam cheese), tsokolte (a hot chocolate drink), pasta, fruit salad, and hamn (Christmas ham). Some families would also open presents at this time.

Panunulyan
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In different provinces and schools, the journey of Joseph and the pregnant Blessed Virgin Mary in search of lodging is re-enacted. The pageant, traditionally called the "Panunulyan", "Pananawgan", or "Pananaptan", is modelled after the Spanish Las Posadas. The Panunulyan is performed after dark, with the actors portraying Joseph and the Virgin Mary going to pre-designated houses. They chant a traditional song that is meant to rouse the owner of the house and to request for lodging. The "owner/s" (also actors) then cruelly turn away the Holy Family, sometimes also in song, reasoning that their house is already filled with other guests. Finally, Joseph and Mary make their way to the parish church where a replica of the stable has been set up. The birth of Jesus is celebrated at midnight with the Misa de Gallo. This is one of the activities that people enjoy, not only the children, but also the adults that view the show. it is really a worthwhile tradition.

Christmas Day
Christmas Day in The Philippines is primarily a family affair. The Misa de Aguinaldo is celebrated on December 25 and is usually attended by the whole family. In the Roman Catholic and Philippine Independent Churches, it is the main means of celebrating Jesus Christ's birth. y The Misa de Aguinaldo is often celebrated between 10 p.m and 12 midnight., a schedule preferred by many Filipinos who stay up late on Christmas Eve for the night-long celebration of the Noche Buena.
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Preferably in the morning, Filipino families visit members of the extended family, notably the elders in order to pay their respects. This custom of giving respect has been an age-old tradition in the Philippines called "Pagmamno"; this is done by bringing the elder's hand to one's forehead, while saying Mno P. The elder then blesses the person who has paid them respect. "Aguinaldo", or money in the form of crisp, fresh-from-the-bank bills is given after the Pagmamano, mostly to younger children. llA Christmas Lunch usually follows after the "Pagmamano

The lunch is heavily dependent upon the finances of the family. Wealthy families tend to prepare grand and glorious feasts that consist of Jamon de Bola, Queso de Bola, Lechon and other Filipino delicacies. Some poor families choose to cook simple meals, nevertheless still special. When the family is settled after the lunch, the exchange of gifts is usually done. Godparents are expected to give gifts or Aguinaldo to their godchildren. y When nighttime falls, members of the family usually take part in family talks while listening to favorite Christmas carols. Some may opt to have a glorious Christmas feast for dinner. Then, most of the children open red envelopes just like the chinese tradition. In these envelopes children receive money from their grandmother and/or grandfather.
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Nios Inocentes
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Nios Inocentes is commemorated on December 28 as Holy Innocents' Day or Childermas in other countries. The innocents referred to are the children who were massacred by order of Herod, who was seeking the death of the newborn Messiah. Filipinos celebrate the occasion doing pranks to one another, similar to April Fool's Day, and readily admits "Na-Nios Inocentes ka." once called out. One of the most widely done sinister pranks on this day is to borrow money without the intention of paying back. Victims are usually helpless in getting remuneration from the offender, and are instead forewarned not to lend money on this day.

New Year's Eve

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On December 31, New Year's Eve ("Bisperas ng Bagong Taon"), Filipino families gather for the Media Noche or midnight meal a feast that is also supposed to symbolize their hopes for a prosperous New Year. In spite of the yearly ban on firecrackers, many Filipinos in the Philippines still see these as the traditional means to greet the New Year. The loud noises and sounds of merrymaking are not only meant to celebrate the coming of the New Year but are also cast out malevolent spirits. Safer methods of merrymaking include banging on pots and pans and blowing on car horns.

Folk beliefs also include encouraging children to jump at the stroke of midnight so that they would grow up tall, displaying circular fruit and wearing clothes with dots and other circular designs to symbolize money, eating twelve fruits at 12 midnight for good luck in the twelve months of the year, and opening windows and doors during the first day of the New Year to let in the good luck.

Three Kings (First Sunday of the year)

Christmas officially ends on Epiphany, more commonly known as Three Kings' Day (Tres Reyes in Spanish or Tatlng Har in Tagalog). Three Kings was traditionally commemorated on January 6 but is now celebrated on the first Sunday after the New Year. Some children leave their shoes out, so that the Three Kings would leave behind gifts like candy or money inside. y The season actually ends on January 11, the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus (in 2011 it falls on a Sunday, January 9, which is the second Sunday of the month), with the final festivities held on January 8 and 9 with the processions of the Black Nazarene in Manila and Cagayan de Oro. These are done in honour of the image's 1787 transfer to its present residence in Quiapo Church.
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The holiday is sometimes extended to last week of January in honour of the Santo Nio or Christ Child, whose feast falls on the third Sunday of January. The image most associated with the day is the reportedly miraculous Santo Nio de Ceb, the first Christian image brought to the islands. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan came to Ceb and gave the image as a baptismal present to Datu Humabon and his wife when they and their subjects converted to Christianity.

Decorations
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The Filipino Christmas would not be complete without the traditional Philippine Christmas symbols and decorations. Christmas lights are strung about in festoons, as the tail of the Star of Bethlehem in Belens, in shapes like stars, Christmas trees, angels, and in a large variety of other ways, going as far as draping the whole outside of the house in lights. Aside from Western decorations like Santa Claus, Christmas trees, tinsel, etc., the Philippines has its own ways of showing that it is the holidays. Instead of Christmas trees they use holly bushes

Parol
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Though not strictly a custom, every Christmas season, Filipino homes and buildings are adorned with beautiful star lanterns, called parol (Span. farol, meaning lantern or lamp-Merriam Webster - English English- Spanish Dictionary). The earliest parols were traditionally made from simple materials like bamboo sticks, Japanese rice paper (known as "papel de Hapon") or crepe paper, and a candle or coconut oil-lamp for illumination; although the present day parol can take many different shapes and forms. The most base form of the lantern is a 5-pointed star with two "tails" at the lower two tips. Other variations are 4, 8, 10 pointed stars with the rarer 6, 16 and so on pointed stars. The parol is also traditionally made of lacquered paper and bamboo, but others are made of cellophane, plastic, rope, capiz shell and a wide variety of materials. Making parols is a folk craft, and most Filipino kids have tried their hand at making a parol at one time or another, maybe as a school project or otherwise. The most basic parol can be easily constructed with just ten bamboo sticks, paper, and glue. These lanterns represent the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings (Tatlong Hari in Tagalog). Parols are to Filipinos as Christmas trees are to Westerners- an iconic and beloved symbol of the holiday.

Belen
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Another traditional Filipino Christmas symbol is the belen -- a creche or tableau representing the Nativity scene. Derived from the Spanish name for the town of Bethlehem, Beln, it depicts the infant Jesus Christ in the manger, surrounded by the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the shepherds, their flock, the Magi and some stable animals and angels. Belens can be seen in homes, churches, schools and even office buildings; the ones on office buildings can be extravagant, using different materials for the figures and using Christmas lights, parols, and painted background scenery. A notable outdoor belen in Metro Manila is the one that used to be at the COD building in Cubao, Quezon City. In 2003, the belen was transferred to the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan when the COD building closed down.This belen is a lights and sounds presentation, the story being narrated over speakers set up and most probably using automatons to make the figures move up and down, or turn, etc. Each year, the company owning it changes the theme, with variations such as a fairground story, and Santa Claus' journey. On the other hand, Tarlac, known as the "Belen Capital of the Philippines" holds the annual "Belenismo sa Tarlac". It is a belen making contest which is participated by establishments and residents in Tarlac. Giant versions of the belen with different themes are displayed in front of the establishments and roads of Tarlac for the rest of the Christmas season.

Caroling
In the Philippines, children in small groups go from house to house singing Christmas carols, which they called pangangaroling. Makeshift instruments include tambourines made with tansans (aluminum bottle caps) strung on a piece of wire. With the traditional chant of "Namamasko po!", these carolers wait expectantly for the homeowners to reward them with coins. Afterward, the carolers thank the generous homeowners by singing "Thank you, thank you, ang babait ninyo (you are so kind), thank you!" y An example of a traditional Filipino carol is a part of series known as "Maligayang Pasko", which was commonly called as "Sa maybahay ang aming bati":
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Sir William