by Jim Bea Sampaga
Christmastime is here. The world will celebrate Christmas on December 25 in less than a week. However, in some countries, Christmas celebrations start early.
In the United States, Christmas celebrations start in November a day after Thanksgiving. But in the Philippines, Christmas starts as early as September.
Filipinos usually call the last four months of the year “Ber months” because of the suffix “-ber” in September, October, November, and December.
The “Ber months” signal the countdown to Christmas Eve in the Philippines. Multiple traditions in the Philippines begin during these months.
As soon as September 1, Filipino singer Jose Mari Chan’s music filled the speakers of every household and storefront in the Philippines.
Dubbed the King of Philippine Christmas Carols, Chan is known for his songs such as “Christmas in Our Hearts,” “A Perfect Christmas” and “A Wish On Christmas Night.”
Malls and parks are decorated with Christmas lights and lanterns. Stores are starting to offer discounts on items as Christmas nears.
The weather changes into a slight rain so it’s slightly cooler during these months.
Delicacies like bibingka, puto bumbong, queso de bola, and jamon will be once again available.
The tradition of Simbang Gabi offers a well-rounded opportunity for everyone to take the Lord for a wonderful year.
Philippine employees look forward to the government-mandated 13th-month pay that will help them pay for their Christmas gifts, celebrations, and more.
From Christmas Lights To Christmas Shopping
Decoration is a big part of any celebration and Christmas is no exception.
Twinkling Christmas lights are one thing, but in the Philippines, the traditional Filipino Christmas lanterns called “parol” line the streets and windows of homes and mall establishments.
For Jeril Calayan of Pasig City, Philippines, he said that the Christmas season starts as early as September.
“This is when most establishments put up Christmas decorations on their windows and when some families start putting up theirs,” said Jeril Calayan of Pasig City, Philippines.
“Christmas here isn’t just a holiday—it’s an experience. We go all out with festive sounds, dazzling lights, and, of course, the delicious food that brings everyone together. It’s this vibrant and heartfelt celebration that sets us apart from the rest of the world,” said Trishia Sandigan from Pateros City, Philippines whose family owns Claerika’s Eatery in the same city.
In the Philippines, the 13th-month pay is government-mandated to financially help employees celebrate Christmas and New Year.
The 13th-month pay is equivalent to the one-month salary of the employee. The government requires employers to pay out the 13th-month pay before December 24.
In line with the release of the 13th-month pay, stores, and establishments offer huge discounts and sales to entice the public to shop early for their Christmas gifts and food.
“It’s the time of the year when the much-awaited 13th-month pay arrives and the excitement of year-end fills the air. More than that, it truly feels like the season of giving,” Sandigan shared.
Moreover, the Christmas season signals the comeback of beloved Christmas snacks such as bibingka, a baked rice cake snack, and puto bumbong, steamed purple rice cakes.
“I can definitely feel the Christmas spirit as I start to see twinkling lights here and there, hear joyful Christmas music, and catch the unmistakable aroma of bibingka and puto bumbong wafting from sidewalk vendors,” said Sandigan.
“These sights, sounds, and scents perfectly capture the essence of the holiday season. No other celebration seems to combine light, music, and food quite like Christmas,” she added.
From Simbang Gabi To Christmas Snacks
Bibingka and puto bumbong are undoubtedly the perfect Christmas snack duo, but these snacks are also synonymous with the Filipino traditional event called Simbang Gabi.
Simbang Gabi, which translates to Night Mass in English, is the nine-day series of masses attended by Filipino Catholics ahead of Christmas. These masses are held daily from December 16 to December 24 and the mass is usually held as early as 2:30am to 5am.
This tradition originated from the Spanish colonization of the Philippines and the early morning mass was a practical compromise to the early work schedule of Filipinos who were mostly farmers.
In 2019, Pope Francis presided over a Simbang Gabi celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica for Rome’s Filipino community. This marked the first time a pope led the traditional Filipino mass.
During the 2019 Simbang Gabi, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of charity during the Christmas season.
“We are all called to practice charity together with those who live in the existential peripheries, using our different gifts to renew the signs of the presence of the Kingdom,” the pope said.
“Together, we are all called to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News of salvation, in all languages, so as to reach as many people as possible.”
According to a popular folklore, those who attended all nine Simbang Gabi celebrations have the chance to be granted their request by God.
Simbang Gabi is held in churches throughout the Philippines. Right outside the church, rows of food vendors can be found selling the famous Christmas snacks bibingka and puto bumbong.
A few streets away from Pateros Catholic Church is Claerika’s Eatery which is owned by the Sandigan family. The eatery is known for its homemade meals and limited-edition chicharon snacks but during the Christmas season, the eatery offers the classic bibingka and puto bumbong.
“These festive treats are always in high demand throughout the Ber months and even more so during the nine days of Simbang Gabi,” she said.
“As beloved Christmas staples, they not only bring joy to our customers but also drive significant sales for our business, making the holiday season truly special for us.”
The essence of Simbang Gabi highlights the importance of gift-giving during the Christmas season. As people buy gifts to give and food to share with their family and loved ones, businesses thrive during this season which further emphasizes the message of giving during Christmas.
The food of Noche Buena and Media Noche
Another important Christmas tradition for Filipinos is Noche Buena, the traditional Filipino Christmas Eve dinner.
Right after Misa de Gallo (the last Simbang Gabi held on Christmas Eve), families would go straight to their homes to prepare for the Noche Buena dinner.
Noche Buena means “good night” in Spanish but in the Philippines, this usually refers to the festive gathering and dinner taken to welcome the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25.
On the evening of December 24, families would be busy preparing food to be served at exactly midnight. The celebration goes well into the morning which is just in time to exchange and open Christmas gifts.
This midnight dinner would often feature an array of lavish dishes such as lechon, jamon, various types of pancit, Filipino spaghetti, and many more. For desserts, there’s leche flan, fruit salad, buko salad, ube halaya, turon, various types of rice cakes, and many more. In recent years, more Western dishes are also served during Noche Buena such as steak, cakes, cookies, and ice cream.
But for some, enjoying traditional Filipino food is still the way to go for Noche Buena.
“My Noche Buena favorites are leche flan and puto bumbong. I grew up eating those and my mom used to make them in batches so I would sometimes sneak a bite even though she made those for our guests,” said Calayan.
“I truly believe no food can top the delightful combination of bibingka and puto bumbong,” Sandigan reiterated.
“These festive treats are best enjoyed right after Simbang Gabi, especially when you can feel the cool Christmas breeze in the air. The soft, warm bibingka, with its buttery topping and hint of salted egg, pairs perfectly with the chewy, purple puto bumbong, coated in coconut and muscovado sugar. Together, they embody the flavors and spirit of a Filipino Christmas, making every bite a nostalgic reminder of the season’s warmth and joy.”
As her family runs Claerika’s Eatery, Sandigan said they received comments about creating Filipino food mashup: putting leche flan or ube on top of their bibingka.
“While we appreciate these suggestions, we choose to stick to the classic recipe. We believe in preserving the traditional flavors that make bibingka a true Christmas staple,” she explained.
“Adding overly sweet toppings might overshadow its authentic charm, and we want our version to remain a memorable and unique part of the holiday experience—just the way it has always been.”
Similar to Noche Buena, Filipinos also have a tradition of welcoming the New Year with a festive dinner called Media Noche. Twelve circular fruits are the star of the Media Noche as they symbolize luck and prosperity for the upcoming new year. Circle because it represents money and twelve different fruits are the twelve months of the year.
When the clock strikes midnight, people make as much noise as possible to ward off their surroundings of bad spirits. This could be by lighting firecrackers, blowing their cars or motorcycle horns, turning up the music on their speakers, and even banging pots and pans. People are also encouraged to wear lucky colors,
or polka dots to bring prosperity into the new year.
Celebrating Filipino Christmas Abroad
For Filipinos abroad, keeping the Filipino tradition alive during Christmas is an important part of their holiday season.
For Jemary Tantiado of Canberra, Australia the start of the Ber months and the vibrant decorations such as parol reminds her of Christmas in the Philippines.
“Filipinos take decorating seriously, often putting them up as early as September. The twinking lights, nativity scenes and festive ornaments create a joyful atmosphere that is uniquely Filipino and impossible to forget,” she said.
Despite being miles away from her hometown of Metro Manila, Philippines, Tantiado makes it a point to reconnect with relatives both in the Philippines, Australia and beyond.
“Even if we’re miles away from the Philippines celebrating with fellow Filipinos makes it feel like home, and we share stories and laughter to keep the spirit of the Christmas season alive,” she shared.
Filipinos abroad also ensure that their families in the Philippines can celebrate Christmas with enough gifts and food. Money remittances are the usual way Filipinos abroad help out their families during the Christmas season.
According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, personal remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers grew by 2.7% in October 2024, reaching $3.42 billion. With Christmas and New Year right around the corner, the number of remittances are expected to increase in the following days.
The Gift of Giving
Christmas is all about giving. As Pope Francis said in his 2019 Simbang Gabi homily:
“We want to commit ourselves to manifest God’s love and tenderness towards everyone, especially the least… I encourage you to increase opportunities for meeting to share your cultural and spiritual wealth, while at the same time allowing yourselves to be enriched by the experiences of others.”
As families gather around the table to share a heartwarming homemade meal, take the time to cherish the moment and thank everyone for the blessings received in the past year.
“Giving is more important than receiving,” Calayan said when asked what Christmas means to him. “This is the only time in the year where you put everything behind and give what you can to others.”
Tantiado shared that the essence of togetherness is important, despite the distance.
“Christmas means love, giving, and reconnecting with family and loved ones, whether in person or spirit. It’s a time to celebrate faith, gratitude, and the joy of togetherness,” she said.
For Sandigan, Christmas is the time to share that holiday magic with everyone.
“With kids in the house, the holiday magic becomes ever more special as we watch their eyes light up with excitement over Santa and their gifts. Their joy and wonder add an extra layer of warmth and happiness to the season, making Christmas all the more meaningful,” she explained.
As for Claerika’s Eatery, Sandigan said their Christmas special offerings drive significant sales which helps their family and employees this holiday season.
“But beyond the numbers, what truly brings us joy is knowing that our food helps spark the Christmas spirit in people. There’s something magical about how a simple, traditional dish can evoke nostalgia, warmth, and the joy of the season,” she explained.
“Being part of our customers’ holiday celebrations, even in a small way, is what makes this time of the year so special for us.”
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