The Philippines is known for having the longest Christmas celebration in the world because of its Catholic faith and colonial roots. The Christmas season in the Philippines starts on September 1 and ends on January 6 at the Feast of the Three Kings. Now that we are in the last month of the year, restaurants, malls, hotels, and other public spaces make everyone feel the Christmas season with their glittering decorations and festive music.
Christmas celebration in the Philippines
There are quite a few Christmas customs that are only practiced in the Philippines, which sets the country apart from others worldwide. These customs exist in addition to the myriad of Christmas sales and promotions that allow Filipinos to spend their Christmas bonuses and 13th-month pay.
Christmas parties are also a part of the Philippine Christmas tradition. Families and offices organize Christmas parties, and one tradition in almost every Christmas party is “monito-monita,” the Pinoy version of Secret Santa.
There is also the Holy Mass known as the Simbang Gabi, which is held every daybreak from the 16th until the 24th of December. Vendors will sell rice cakes and other delights topped with hot chocolate outside churches. It is customary for employees to give gifts to godchildren and for godchildren to receive gifts.
In the Philippines, as Asia’s only Catholic and first Christian nation, everyone goes all out for this holiday. Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines, has a dense Muslim population of around 23.4%, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Mindanaoans, like the rest of the country, celebrate the Christmas season with the same festivities and magnificence despite the significant number of Muslims on the island. However, traditional Christmas celebrations have taken on an entirely new form due to the recent string of natural disasters and the pandemic that wreaked havoc on the country’s second-largest island.
How communities in Mindanao celebrate this year’s Christmas
Davao
Davao City is recognized for its annual Pasko Fiesta, an event started by the city administration that celebrates not just the Yuletide spirit of gift-giving but also the city’s enterprises’ growth.
From extravagant performances (singing, cheer dancing, and band competition) near the city’s busiest intersections to small-scale gatherings in quieter neighborhoods, Pasko Fiesta is a month-long series of events. Davao City has also made its Christmas celebrations solemn by prohibiting the usage of fireworks.
On the contrary, Tagum City in Davao del Norte encourages using firecrackers during Christmas. This city is also home to a massive Christmas tree that has become a tourist attraction. The height of this giant Christmas tree is 78.56 ft., and it has over 200,000 bulbs attached to it.
General Santos City
The Tuna Capital of the Philippines, General Santos City, will have a series of activities in this year’s “Paskuhan Sa Gensan” ending on December 31. The month-long celebration features a trade show that features locally-made products from Gensan and nearby areas in the Saranggani province. And during New Year’s Eve, there will be a public countdown at the Oval Plaza as people approach the New Year.
In this year’s celebration, the streets of Gensan are full of different stalls that sell food to the public. There are also carnival rides in this year’s Paskuhan. Gensan took inspiration from Davao and Baguio City for this year’s Paskuhan concept, and it spread the Christmas spirit more to the public.
Cotabato City
Cotabato City was once the capital of Mindanao and got its name from the words “kuta” and “wato,” which means “fort” and “stone.” Cotabato City celebrates Christmas with a bang as the province never fails to have a vibrant and colorful annual Christmas lighting event every year.
The annual Festival of Lights in Cotabato City marks the start of the Christmas celebration in the city. During this event, the streets of Cotabato are filled with magnificent and bright dancing lights for the citizens to witness. During this celebration, the people of Cotabato City also exchange gifts and celebrate the holiday.
Zamboanga City
Christmas is also celebrated with a lot of pomp and circumstance in Zamboanga City. In December, the city hall is magically converted into a kingdom of lights with brightly colored Christmas light decorations. Aside from the Christmas light display, the city government of Zamboanga organized a Christmas Chorale and Inter Barangay Christmas village competition.
Cagayan de Oro
Each night in Cagayan de Oro, bright white lights are installed to illuminate the facade of the white Executive House, producing an atmosphere similar to that of a snowless winter wonderland.
The neighboring Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral is another historic building that can be found next to the magnificent Cagayan River. Like the city hall and the park, the cathedral was illuminated with light displays.
Aside from lighting displays, Cagayan de Oro also conducted a competition that determined the best-designed tricycle in the area. On the other hand, shoppers are filling up shopping centers and local shops with their Christmas presents and grocery shopping. Even the Plaza Divisoria is now overrun with merchants when this phenomenon was limited to the Night Cafes.
How Camella makes Christmas brighter in Mindanao
Camella, the preferred real estate brand in the Philippines for 45 years, has been part of the celebrations in their respective communities, not just in Mindanao but all over the Philippines. As a community, we ensure that our homeowners are included in every occasion in the country by organizing events they will enjoy.
During the Christmas season, Camella projects around the country had Christmas lighting events and parties catering to homeowners, sellers, and anyone within the project’s vicinity. This effort to make people closer is one of the reasons why Camella has been in the real estate industry for more than four decades.
We hope you will create some of your most cherished memories with your family in one of our carefully planned neighborhoods. Come home to Camella today!
