Rev. Leon Cadsap, left, stands with his wife, Glory, centre, and daughter Hadassah, 10, at the High Prairie St. Mark’s Anglican Church nativity scene.

Richard Froese
South Peace News

Christmas in the Philippines is a time for family and church to focus on the real reason for the season.

“The Philippines is the only Christian country in Asia,” says Rev. Leon Cadsap, minister of St. Mark’s Anglican Church in High Prairie.

He arrived just over one year ago in January 2016.

All the Christian churches hold daily services from Dec. 15 until Christmas Eve, about one to two hours long.

“We have dawn or nightly services,” Cadsap says. “That is when the churches are full.”

Dawn services start at either 4 a.m. or 5 a.m., followed by a breakfast.

Refreshments are also served after the evening service.

“Filipinos believe that you have to attend all nightly services at Christmas,” Cadsap says. “They believe it will give them blessing.”

Live nativity presentations may also be featured.

Christmas carols are the main focus of the services and some evangelical churches present a choir in concert.

United Churches in the Philippines are also known to feature their choirs at a joint concert, with children included.

Following the Christmas Eve service, families gather in a home for noche beuna, a midnight meal with lots of food including pancit, with thin noodles mixed with vegetables and seafood, chicken or pork.

After the meal, the family gathers to open gifts.

“That’s the American influence, giving and opening gifts,” Cadsap says.

Following the Christmas Day service, the children go to their godparents to receive more gifts.

“Some godparents have more than 100 godchildren and some godchildren have more than 20 godparents,” Cadsap says. “As godparents, you have responsibility to give to your godchildren.”

During the final week of the year, families spend more time together.

“It’s mainly family reunion time for most Filipinos,” Cadsap says.

Groups also go caroling door-to-door from Dec. 22-24.

For those listening, they are required to donate to the group, he says.

If the group is from the church, the money goes to the church. The children, however, keep the money to buy treats and candy. If the group is from a community organization, that organization gains the donations.

The presence of Christmas in the Philippines starts the third week of October, when people start to decorate their homes.

Music of Christmas also starts to ring in the malls in October.

Usually open until 10 p.m., businesses at the malls also extend to midnight starting in December.

Santa Claus makes his big visit to the malls about one week before Christmas Day.

“We even have Santa Claus coming from Europe, who actually travels from mall to mall,” Cadsap says.

The Philippines also has their own special Christmas decoration. It is a paról, an ornamental, star-shaped Christmas lantern that is traditionally made out of bamboo and paper. The design of the paról symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and the Filipinos’ hope and goodwill during the Christmas season.

New Year’s is another big time to celebrate.

After churches hold their New Year’s Eve services, people gather to light firecrackers and watch fireworks.

“Churches ring their bells,” Cadsap says.

“After that, families gather for another meal.”