Christmas in the Philippines

The first week I started work in the Philippines I was asked, "how long are you staying." When I told my co-workers I would be staying from July to mid-December, they immediately said I had to change my flight to stay for Christmas in the Philippines. It is an amazing time in the Philippines, I was told. And almost every person who subsequently asked me when I was leaving said the same thing! Yes, I'll miss Christmas in the Philippines, but luckily the season started months ago so I'm not missing out completely.

Christmas season runs in the Philippines during the "ber" months, that is, it starts in September and goes through to the end of December. And its true, on September 1 I heard a Christmas song on the radio (and we think we start early in the U.S.!). Christmas music and decorations and prolonged mall hours have increased with intensity since November began. So I figured I'd share with you a few pics so far of Christmas here. I hope to get downtown and to People's Park here in Davao to take some more pictures as well before I leave, because there are even more decorations there!

Here is our Christmas decoration at home, a parol at our door.


"A parol is a traditional Filipino Christmas decoration, a five point star-shaped Christmas lantern. Originally made of thin bamboo frames and covered with colored cellophane or with rice paper also known as Japanese paper or papel de Japon. It has two tails that serve as the rays of the star. A parol reminds the Filipino Christians of the star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Wise Men on their way in search of Baby Jesus." (http://hubpages.com/hub/Parol---Filipino-Christmas-Lantern-)

Here are some Christmas lights in downtown Cotabato City:

And a Christmas tree made of parols getting set up at Notre Dame, Cotabato:

It still feels a little weird to be getting pumped up for Christmas when its still 90 degrees outside, but I'm sure it will hit me that Christmas has arrived when the 10 degree weather in Minnesota does!