Christmas in the Philippines

Parols and Christmas lights on display at night. The parol is regarded as one of the most iconic and important symbols of the Filipino Christmas season.[1][2]

In the Philippines, Christmas (Filipino: Pasko; [pɐsˈkɔʔ] ⓘ)[a] is a major annual celebration, as in most countries of the Christian world. It is celebrated as a public holiday in the country on December 25, concurrent with other countries.

As one of the two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia (the other one being East Timor), the Philippines celebrates the world's longest Christmas season (Filipino: Kapaskuhan),[1][3] spanning what it refers to as the "ber months".[b] With Christmas music played as early as August,[4] the holiday season gradually begins by September, reaches its peak in December during Christmastide, and concludes within the week after New Year's Day;[5] however, festivities may last until the third Sunday of January, the feast day of the Santo Niño.[6][7] Liturgically, the Christmas season is observed by the Catholic Church from the first day of Advent (the fourth Sunday before Christmas)[8] to Three Kings' Day, which falls on the Sunday between January 2 and 8.[c]

  1. ^ a b Brown, Sarah (December 5, 2012). "The Philippines shows the world how to celebrate Christmas". CNN. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  2. ^ "Paskong Pinoy at Kultura" [Filipino Christmas and Culture]. The Manila Times. December 2, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2022. In the Philippines, the parol has become an iconic symbol of the Filipino Christmas and is as important to Filipinos as the Christmas tree is to Western cultures.
  3. ^ Pitrelli, Monica Buchanan (December 20, 2021). "The country that celebrates Christmas for more than 4 months a year". CNBC. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Maxabella, Bron (December 20, 2021). "A very Filipino Christmas: Early starts, pigs and plenty of flan". SBS Food. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "The 'ber' months are here, bringing good tidings". Manila Bulletin. September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  6. ^ de Guzman, Odi M. (January 5, 2016) [January 8, 2015]. "Black or white: The Nazarene and the Pinoy devotion". GMA News. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  7. ^ "Origins of Pinoy Christmas traditions". Inquirer Pop!. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  8. ^ Medenilla, Samuel P. (September 6, 2021). "Avoid commercialization of Christmas–CBCP exec". BusinessMirror. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Hermoso, Christina P. (January 3, 2021). "Feast of the Epiphany marks end of Christmas Season". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved September 9, 2021.


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