Philippine vacation experiences

It’s been quite a long time since I’ve been here, but still, the feeling never changed. It’s still where my heart finds its second home -? the Philippines. We celebrated Christmas very religiously by attending predawn masses called Sambaing Gab; eat traditional food like rice cakes and having a good time with our family. The night mass starts at December 16 and lasts until the day of the Christmas. The church bells and first cockcrow awaken the people of the town to go to church and to pray for a joyful celebration of the Chrism’s birth.
This is indeed quite different comparing to celebrating in Italy, which is mostly about Santa Clause and giving gifts. As it continues to blow on the cold breeze of December, me and my cousins enjoyed caroling in the neighborhood. It is hoping from one house to another every night and singing Christmas songs. This serves as our bonding together and also, there is this joy that resides in Our hearts as we sing different Christmas carols. Through this, it sets our mood for some Christmas spirit. Roaming around our place, I noticed that each household were adorned with these star-shaped multistoried lanterns which they call “parole”.
They say that s early as November, these were already hanged as a preparation for Christmas. After all the preparations, Niche Buena is still the much-anticipated part after the midnight mass. It is a traditional Christmas Eve feast after returning home from the mass. It was a very special occasion for me because after a couple of years, we will celebrate the Christmas Eve as a whole family. We rarely have this moment, so I will consider this as one of my best Christmas. Truly, everybody gets busy during December but me and my family never let any moment get wasted.

We savor every chance that we get together through outings and exploring the beautiful spots in the place. More than that, I must say that the real essence of this season is the giving and sharing among people. It is by these moments that we are reminded that the love for each other is still the main center of the celebration. At the end of the day, these seasons are still about family closeness and my vacation in the Philippines is one great reminder that a strong bond among families is what makes each season worth-celebrating. Indeed, it was a cold yet warm vacation because of the love between and among us.