Simbang Gabi: Philippines
In America, people complain about the holiday shopping season starting earlier and earlier each year. But Christmas in the Philippines starts with the "Ber" months! That's right, SeptemBER is the first of four months to get decked out in lights and covered in parols (star lanterns).
"I'd like to believe our country celebrates the longest Christmas season...ever. Everyone is excited when the 'Ber Months' hit us." - Carmine Dinglasan, Manila
As the "Ber" months wind down and the anticipated day nears, Simbang Gabi begins. Starting on December 16th and continuing for 9 days until Christmas Eve, churches across the archipelago open their doors at the break of dawn and invite in the masses to worship. Young children, teenagers, adults, and elders alike gather at 4am to partake in Simbang Gabi. Locals say that the fun part of Simbang Gabi is that if you complete 9 straight masses without missing any, you get to make a wish! After mass the streets are filled with food stalls selling yummy treats like puto bumbong (sticky rice) and bibingka (rice cake). Pictured to the right, a girl from Manila offers her guest bibingka while a parol glows in the background. Summer Time Christmas: Australia
The sun Down Under sure isn't shy around Christmas time in Australia. While much of the world is still searching for Frosty's carrot nose lost in the snow,this country in the Southern Hemisphere is in prime time summer. Most Aussies happily trade a fire for a fan, roast bird for a seafood feast, and reindeers for kangaroos. It's common for fish markets to have a line out the door on Christmas Eve and for families to celebrate Christmas outdoors. Camping, beach side BBQ's, and lounging riverside are typical ways to spend Christmas in Australia.
"I love Christmas when it's hot. You lot are truly missing out"
- Kellie Newstead, South Australia
Though Santa may swap his thick red coat for bordies and a hot roast gets kicked to the side to make way for fresh fish, Christmas in Australia has common roots to the United Kingdom. This means Christmas trees fill town squares and carols fill the warm night air.
Carp for Christmas: The Czech Republic and Poland
 |
| Old Town Square: Prague, Czech Republic |
"It doesn't mean we love fish so much but this is our traditional Christmas dish. Perhaps once upon a time we needed to find a way to get rid of all the carp in our ponds."
- Ondra Burda, Prague
However your family rejoices, whether you decorate a palm, pine, or tree of plastic, Christmas is a special time to gather with family and partake in your favorite traditions. Share these international Christmas traditions with your friends and family. Do you have a special way to enjoy Christmas or know of a fun way other countries celebrate? Tell us about it!
No matter what country we are from or where we spend Christmas, our Dutch friend sums it up nicely:
"We celebrate by visiting friends and family and being in their company, celebrating their friendship, and the fact that we are together. It is a moment of standing still in the world that goes by around us." - Toine Sterk, The Netherlands
Activities
1) Have an International Holiday
Clearly, there are many ways to ring in the holidays. Add a little spice to your holidays and combine a tradition from another country in with your own. Here are some ideas:
- Hide the Scales: Surprise your dinner guests with a fish scale under their plate. At the end of the meal announce that each person has a special treat under their plate and tell them about the tradition from Central Europe. If you don't have any scales handy (which most of us don't) create your own using translucent paper and color pencils.
- Sing Australian Carols: Adaptations had to be made to "Frosty the Snowman" and "White Christmas." Learn the words to an Australian carol such as "Six White Boomers," a song about Santa's kangaroos. Perform this for your friends and family in true holiday spirit.
- Build a Filipino Parol: The streets of Filipino towns are filled with parols that light the streets. Traditional parols are made from bamboo lining and thick tissue paper, most commonly in the shape of a star to represent the guiding star that led the Three Kings to the manger. Parols come in all shapes and sizes and Little Passports has a fun and easy way for you to make your own. Visit their Facebook page for instructions on how to create a parol of your own!
Can you find these countries on the map?
- Slovakia
- The Netherlands
- The Philippines
- Belgium
- Australia
1) Is Australia the only continent that lies ENTIRELY in the Southern Hemisphere?
2) Do you know where the original Santa Claus comes from?
3) When does Santa Claus come to town? (HINT: It's not December 25th)
4) Is Simbang Gabi in the Philippines reserved only for families?
3b) Bonus Answers:
1) No, Australia is not the only continent entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, Antarctica is there too! Additionally, most of South America and the bottom half of Africa are also in the Southern Hemisphere.
2) While many Canadians claim Santa as one of their own, St. Nicholas of Myra is from modern day Turkey.
3) St. Nicholas comes to towns across Europe on December 5th or December 6th in honor of his names day (12/6). The Netherlands and the Czech Republic celebrate St. Nicholas on the 5th, while Belgium celebrate on the 6th. Children in the Netherlands and Belgium write letters to Sinterklaas while children in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia write to Mikulás (American children write to Santa Clause).
4) No! Simbang Gabi is celebrated amongst friends and family alike. Groups of young people gather together to attend mass and then hit the street for the yummy food stalls together.
These fun facts were compiled by http://littlepassports.com/.
No comments:
Post a Comment