A MILLION Christmases
Christmas is perhaps one of the most anticipated and biggest holidays there is. It’s a day of celebration, gift-giving, family gathering, and, of course, it is the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Yet, as we all know, believers of Christ aren’t the only ones who celebrate this momentous occasion. Nowadays, even non-Christians celebrate Christmas, making the holiday a more secular event rather than a religious one.
Written by: Maria Althea Tirzah R. Ferrer
Layout by: Francine Gado
December 25, 2022 | 11:56 P.M.
Since most Filipinos are Catholics, we all go out when celebrating this holiday. As early as September, we’re spreading around the Christmas spirit by decorating our environments with parols, lights and other decorations. By November, the carolers are already out! You will encounter many people (mostly children) going from house to house, merrily singing classic Christmas songs. School Christmas parties also take place, which signal the start of Christmas break and usually happens during the second week of December. This is also around the time Simbang Gabi starts, which are the dawn masses that we have on the nine days leading up to Christmas.
Then, of course, we have the main event. While other countries celebrate this holiday on December 25th, Filipino celebrations happen during Christmas Eve on the 24th known as the Noche Buena.
The Philippines’ Christmas celebration is made up of many cultural and religious traditions that are not evident in other countries. As we all know, despite Christmas being categorized as a Christian holiday, many non-Christians still participate in this event, which confuses many. Some ask, “Why do they celebrate Christmas if they do not believe in the reason for the celebration?” Well, there are many answers to that.
The first is that, despite what we may think, Christmas may not have started as a Christian event. This celebration came from the Pagans and Romans, who had a harvest festival called “Roman Saturnalia,” which commemorates the start of the winter solstice—the return of the sun—and honors the god of sowing, a.k.a. Saturn.
Take Bulgaria for example. On Christmas, they prepare a specific set of vegetarian dishes. They pass along soda bread which the eldest breaks and puts a coin inside (it’s believed that whoever gets the coin will have a lot of riches and successes in the new year,) and they leave a log burning overnight—which they will then “read” in the morning (this is called the yule log.)
The second reason why non-Christians celebrate Christmas is answered by the question: what else are they going to do? In countries like the Philippines, Christmas is considered a national holiday. This means that everyone has the day or week off, even those who don’t really participate or celebrate Christmas. Those at work may have the opportunity to receive a Christmas bonus as well due to the holiday season. Because of this, non-Christians are obliged to participate, lest they want to be the odd one out. Their celebration may or may not be as festive and religious as ours, but a celebration of some sort still occurs. Non-Christian celebrations don’t even have to be about Christmas, sometimes they just celebrate the fact that they get a break from school or work.
Lastly, they celebrate because, over time, the meaning of Christmas has changed socially and practically. What was perhaps perceived as a religious event, has now seemingly become a more secular one. The US and the UK both celebrate Christmas, but only a few people in these countries participate in religious activities such as mass. They instead decorate trees, exchange gifts, and gather with their families and friends.
Because the definition and way of celebration by the people are so diverse, Christmas does not deeply highlight the celebration of the birth of Jesus as many people celebrate it to be. Christmas is also about family, culture, and the season. It is still about Jesus, especially for Catholics but it’s important to realize that the Christian version of this holiday is not for everyone. Modernly, a Christmas celebration is subjective; there’s no proper way to celebrate it. There isn’t just one kind of Christmas; there are a million kinds, made for and by a million different people. Therefore, we must remember that this holiday is both for us Christians and everyone else.