It’s December, and we’re all starting to feel the Christmas spirit. As the air gets cooler and traditional smells start to fill our streets and our homes, the giddy anticipation of the holiday season starts to build within.
Halfway around the world, however, that feeling started in the first week of September.
Exactly 12 hours time difference from New York (13 hours during the winter months), the Philippines begins its Christmas season as soon as the “BER” months hit. From SeptemBER to DecemBER the entire country builds towards the Christmas holidays. Here’s what one can expect to see if they find themselves in the country during this time of year.
- Decorations and Christmas Music
Malls and stores all around the Philippines start putting up their Christmas decorations in the first week of September. Holiday music, such as popular Christmas songs and the country’s own version of Michael Buble, Jose Mari Chan, fill the radio with classics. As December approaches, more and more decor adorns establishments and streets, and Christmas music becomes more frequent and louder.
- Christmas Bazaars and Sales
Right as mid-September hits, SALE signs begin to go up, along with holiday bundles. Sales percentages get bigger and bigger as the season continues, and online, big shopping websites like Lazada and Shopee go on mega sales on September 9th, October 10th, November 11th, and December 12th.
Bazaars also pop up in malls and other parts of the city where artisans get to sell their crafts.
- Holiday Treats
In bazaars one can often find delicious holiday treats, where local bakers sell their Christmas specials. Some of the best ones have left bazaars and taken to Instagram, where some of them begin accepting Christmas orders as early as August to be delivered in December! These specialties are often ordered throughout the “ber months” and make for very popular presents between Filipinos.
More traditional Filipino Christmas treats can also be found outside of churches after the celebration of midnight mass, often called Simbang Gabi (night mass) or Misa de Gallo (mass of roosters), called such because of how early the mass is held—in some places as early as 3am!
- Misa de Gallo and Noche Buena
These night masses are among the traditions left behind by the centuries long Spanish colonial rule of the islands. They begin on the 16th of December and culminate on the 24th of December. Also on the 24th is the famed Noche Buena, which translates to good night, and it is when families get together to feast and celebrate the holidays. Older family members give younger ones money, traditionally called Aguinaldos (named for the Philippine president on the now outdated five peso bill).
All throughout the season, Filipinos host parties, get-togethers, and dinners. Their own Christmas trees at home go up as early as October, and often stay up past the new year celebrations on the 1st of January. While it may seem silly to the rest of the world, and while Filipinos sometimes laugh at their own Christmas obsessions, the truth is keeping up the holiday spirit for a third of the year isn’t such a bad way to live!
XOXO,
Your Fashion Bestie
Featured image: Photo by Faisal Waheed on Unsplash
