Colorful lanterns and Christmas trees adorn the streets and homes of Filipinos to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ, and the end of the year. Each year, Filipinos celebrate Christmas earlier than all countries.
By September 1st, radio stations start to play “Christmas In Our Hearts” by Jose Mari Chan, and other Christmastime hits.
Shopping malls begin to be decorated with Christmas accessories, and shops inside begin to have sales to entice shoppers to buy their products.
In every Filipino home, families start to save up for a Christmas tree, which they often decorate as a family, and they also pepper their home with Christmas lights.
Schools and workplaces also celebrate Christmas by holding parties and other celebrations. Most notable of them are the Lantern Parade of the University of the Philippines (UP), and Paskuhan of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). Both of these events signify the end of the semester (since the academic calendar shift in 2015) and the start of the Christmas break.
Noche buena, or Christmas Eve, is the most celebrated among the holidays because during the 25th of December, families are resting from the food they consumed the night before. Food commonly found on a table every Christmas are hamon de bola, ham in the shape of a ball; and keso de bola, derived from the Dutch edam cheese, also in the shape of a ball.
Families with overseas Filipino workers (OFW's) or relatives living outside the country also receive gifts from their loved ones in the form of “balikbayan boxes”. This unique Filipino tradition has served smiles from every corner of the world, where Filipinos live.
