Yummy Bibingka

Bebinca, also known as bibik, is a traditional Goan dessert. The ingredients include plain flour, sugar, ghee (clarified butter) and coconut milk.This food is popular in the Philippines, where it is known as bibingka (bingka in bisaya). The dessert is baked in a specially-made clay oven, with hot coal as a source of heat, placed above. It has to be baked in layers and traditionally has 16 layers. In the Filipino method of preparation, rice flour is used (the baking process is similar to that of the bebinca). Before being served, butter or margarine is spread and sugar is sprinkled over the bibingka. It is typically served with grated coconut. Bibingka is always present for christmas season in the Philippines and also at carnival when their is community fiesta.

Christmas Aguinaldo (Gift Giving)

Christmas in the Philippines is the day for presents, for obeisances to godparents, and for visits to friends and relatives. Christmas day is a popular day for children to visit their uncles, aunts, godmothers, and godfathers. Godchildren visit their godparents on Christmas day to ask for their blessings and, in turn, godparents traditionally hand over gifts to their godchildren. At each home they are presented with a gift, usually candy, money, or a small toy. Food and drinks are also offered at each stop. It is a day of family closeness, and everyone wishes good cheer and glad tidings. In general, members of the family exchange gifts following a traditional Christmas eve dinner (called noche buena). It is also during Christmas day that big family reunions are held with a feast of good food, singing, and dancing.

Philippines Christmas Delicacies

Philippines is known to have many different kinds of native delicacies. Vendors offer a wealth of native delicacies in front of churches after the Misa de Gallo (Simbang-gabi). After hearing Mass, Filipino families partake of traditional Philippine Christmastime delicacies, either during breakfast at home or immediately outside the church. Some of these are bibingka (rice flour and egg based cake, cooked using coals on top of and under the pastry), Misa de Gallo Puto Bumbong (a purple-colored Filipino dessert made of sweet rice cooked in hollow bamboo tubes placed on a special steamer-cooker. When cooked, they are spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar and grated coconut), salabat (hot ginger tea) and tsokolate (thick Spanish cocoa).

Christmas Decorations

Christmas Day is so near but there are still some Filipino that are busy decorating their houses, though others have done it so early. Filipino Christmas would not be complete without the traditional Philippine Christmas symbols and decorations. Aside from Western decorations like Santa Claus, Christmas trees, tinsel, etc, the Philippines has its own ways of showing that it is the holidays. Though not strictly a custom, every Christmas season, Filipino homes and buildings are adorned with beautiful star lanterns, called parol. 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. Another traditional Filipino Christmas symbol is the belen -- a creche or tableau representing the Nativity scene. 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.

Misa de Gallo ( Simbang Gabi)

Traditionally, Christmas Day in the Philippines is ushered in by the nine-day dawn masses that start on December 16. Known as the Misa de Gallo (Rooster's Mass) in the traditional Spanish and in Filipino as Simbang Gabi, or "Night Mass", this novena of Masses is the most important Filipino Christmas tradition. In some parishes, the Simbang Gabi begins as early as four o'clock in the morning. Going to mass this early for nine consecutive days is meant to show the churchgoer's devotion and faith as well as to heighten anticipation for the Nativity of Jesus. In traditional Filipino belief, however, completing the novena is also supposed to mean that God would grant the devotee's special wish or favour. During the old times, the pre-dawn mass is announced by the ringing of the church bells. In some rural areas, an hour before the start of Simbang Gabi, a brass band plays Christmas music all over the town. It is also believed that parish priests would go far knocking on doors to wake and gather the faithful to attend the misa de gallo. Farmers as well as fishermen wake up early to hear the Gospel before going to their work and ask for the grace of good harvest. The changing of times does not break the preservation of celebrating Simbang Gabi although it is celebrated in new ways. Still, the tradition of Simbang Gabi continues. Part of it are the colorful lights and lanterns that fill every streets. Beautiful parols are hung in every window. Songs of the season are played everywhere to warm the hearts. Families, friends and even individuals find its way going to the nearest church to attend the nine-day novena.
After hearing Mass, Filipino families partake of traditional Philippine Christmastime delicacies, either during breakfast at home or immediately outside the church, where they are sold. Vendors offer a wealth of native delicacies, including bibingka (rice flour and egg based cake, cooked using coals on top of and under the pastry), puto bumbong (a purple sticky rice delicacy which is steamed in bamboo tubes, with brown sugar and shredded dried coconut meat served as condiments), salabat (hot ginger tea) and tsokolate (thick Spanish cocoa). In some Aglipayan churches, after the mass everybody is invited to partake the "painit" (after mass snacks of delicacies with hot coffee or tsokolate) at the house of the sponsor of the mass.

Christmas Carolers

Caroling is a part of the Filipino Christmas tradition. Celebrating Christmas with the traditional Christmas caroling, especially the children - going from house to house singing Christmas carols. Makeshift instruments include tamburines 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. After being rewarded, the carolers thank the owner by singing "Thank you, thank you, ang babait ninyo (you are so kind), thank you!". When i was a kid, me, my friends and my cousins had fun doing christmas caroling. We visits every houses in our neighborhood and sing christmas songs. Doesn't matters, out of tune or not! Sometimes, we need to wake up in the middle of the night because we hear, carolers who are singing in front of our house. There are also group of carolers visit houses to sing Christmas songs. Some of these carolers raise funds for less fortunate families through caroling, while others are simply doing it for the joy of singing. Some carolers may be a group of friends, or belong to the same community or civic organization. Others may be family relatives who have made it a tradition to sing together as a family. Today, only a few doing Christmas caroling and i miss the fun of those years.

Christmas Start

When the month of August comes to end, Filipino people will already start there Christmas countdown. Some radio stations will play christmas carols every now and then. Every department stores are all making space to display christmas decorations. People also start making and shopping christmas trees and decors for it will be much lesser when buying earlier before the month of December comes. Everyone is excited for Christmas day. Houses will be filled of christmas lights when the months that ends "ber" will come. So i wanna say advance merry christmas to all!