Parol making in the spirit of the season

It truly is quite an experience celebrating Christmas in the Philippines, especially if you are a kid.  There's the early morning masses where you get up real early, then have hot pan de sal with butter oozing all over, or puto bumbong afterwards.  The anticipation of the special day when Jesus as an infant would appear on the Belen on Christmas Day, and the Christmas lantern that would glide its way across the Church to where the manger is... it's all so special.  And in school, we do arts and crafts, and make Parol, which we have only during this time of the year!

Girl Tells Santa She Wants Dad Home From Iraq

A heartwarming true Christmas story to share with loved ones.
Video credit goes to CBS News Channel.

Simbang Gabi at Johnsonville

We were a bit early...

We are so happy that the Filipino Chaplaincy has scheduled a number of the Simbang Gabi sessions at Johnsonville.  We are at least able to attend 3 of the masses (as I still have work at this time and we would not have been able to make it to the mass if it were elsewhere).

Mary and Joseph must still be on their way to Bethlehem

Simbang Gabi (literal translation: Night Mass) is a devotional nine-day series of masses which starts on 16 December and culminates on 24 December, the Misa de Gallo.  Simbang Gabi is a popular Christmas custom in the Philippines and is held early in the morning (around  5:00).  We usually wax nostalgic when we speak of Simbang Gabi because it is quite a memorable and happy experience.  Imagine waking up very early in the morning (that's the hard part!) and walk / drive the streets when the sun is barely up, then we sing favourite songs and carols in the mass, and when we leave the Church, the sun has just risen and we are ready for some hot pan de sal,  puto bombong, bibingka, and coffee!

Johnsonville Christmas Parade 2011 2 of 2

Johnsonville Christmas Parade 2011 1 of 2

There is something especially different with this year's parade. There is a Nativity float! Yay!

We missed the Ghostbusters this year.  Slimer must be in the middle of mishief.  The parade is lots of fun for the young and the young-at-heart.  Really good to have something like this to usher in the Christmas season. And as they say, a photo is worth a thousand words so here's a number of them (in 2 parts!)

 La la la la la la, la la la la la.....

The longest Christmas party in the making

(This post is a bit delayed I know; I still have vacation hangover I guess)

I'm not sure if my friends still remember this, but back in high school we have been planning to have a Christmas get-together at Leo's place. But come Christmas time, we'd all go our own merry ways and meet the following year when school is back.

So I guess I can say this has been a long time coming. When Leo invited us over to their house for a (post) Christmas party, it was definitely a go.

We had loads of fun. I saw Leo's mom, who I have not seen ever since I finished college. Their house has changed for the better, but the familiar areas are still there (I spent a week in their place during high school). They're the kind of friends who you do not see for so many years and when you get together, it's like you only met yesterday and you pick up where you left off. Leo's sister said we were like high school kids all over again. We were up til past midnight. To add to the ambience, we even had the Gunter Kallmann choir provide the background music to add the to already festive atmosphere.

We also had a bit of a photoshoot which was a lot of fun! Thanks Leo!

We spent the better part of the night jumping around I think!

Hopefully the next Christmas get-together won't take as long!

Here we come a-carolling!

Last weekend, the Filipino kids here at Johnsonville in Wellington had a Christmas carolling to various Filipino homes. This was made possible by the parents who banded together and thought of getting the kids experience something that we usually have at Christmas time in our own country. The main difference here is that the kids have to be transported by car, as the homes are quite far from each other.

With lively guitar accompaniment by Glen, the kids sang to "Ang Pasko ay Sumapit" and such favourites as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Silent Night. Feliz Navidad was also a pleasure to hear again!

 

Johnsonville Christmas Parade (Part 2 of 2)

Ho ho ho!  Merry Christmas!!!

Johnsonville Christmas Parade (Part 1 of 2)

We had a proper summer last weekend as temperatures rose (some of the highest recorded, I believe), and it was a welcome respite from the cold, windy winter that seemed to extend all through spring. The day was just right for the Johnsonville Christmas parade! People came out to bask in the sun and enjoy the spectacle, which is a yearly event for the town.

One thing that amuses me is their use of heavy machinery for their floats (versus our floats in our Flower Festival where we try to make the vehicle blend with the decorations and make it as undetectable as possible).  Huge trucks are a normal sight.  Kids are usually on the floats and it emphasizes even more how immense the trucks are.

I couldn't decide on which photos to leave out and which to display here, so I'm doing this article in two parts instead.  Enjoy!

The Hare Krishna is quite a popular group here I think.  I sometimes see them chanting their familiar song around Cuba Mall in the city.