One more week...

After living and working in the Philippines that last six months, Christopher will be returning home in one week. I have really missed him.

Christmas in October, the Filipino's love Christmas! 

"Filipinos are notorious for being a bit lax with time, but the one thing we're always early for? The holiday season. It's only 2 September, and yet Christmas shops have opened up and parols have already been strung. It's a joyful reminder of better times ahead — a much-needed reprieve amidst all the tragedies our country and our countrymen have faced this year. But this phenomenon isn't new. Every year, Filipinos consistently begin the holiday season during the "ber" months: 1 September. And it doesn't begin there, people prepare for the "ber" months as early as August. Our excitement for the holidays has earned us a fun moniker as the "country with the longest holiday season."

One of the most obvious factors that point to why we love Christmas is religion. The Philippines is largely Catholic and roughly 90% of the entire population is Christian. But some sociologists have also pointed out that the Filipino culture is naturally a very celebratory one. We have 18 public holidays every year, not to mention a fiesta for each of the 144 cities in the country.

Not only that but there's also a huge sense of homecoming attached to the Filipino holiday spirit. Because the culture is so family-centric, many of our countrymen look forward to the holidays as a reunion between them and family members from abroad."

RYANNE CO
September 02, 2020