Think of Christmas and what comes to mind? The tree, or the presents? Perhaps spending time with family and remembering the birth of Christ? Every family has their own Christmas traditions, but not often do we think about how others around the world celebrate this same holiday. Some cultures may have a city parade for Christmas while others may hold a traditional dance to celebrate, and some may serve traditional foods that are unique to their particular culture. There's no wrong way to celebrate, but haven’t you ever wondered how people celebrate the holidays around the world? We interviewed a few students at Notre Dame to see how they celebrate the birth of Jesus during this special time of year. We found that our Notre Dame family possesses a great treasury of special traditions from all around the world.
We begin in the Philippines, where upper campus students Karl Dabalos and JB Lim trace their roots. Karl and JB celebrate interesting Christmas traditions passed down from their family for many generations.
For example, Karl and JB both enjoy foods like Crispy Pata, which is a pork dish, and pancit noodles, which are thin noodles with vegetables and meat. Another common tradition for Filipino families is the Parol star, which is a large bamboo and paper star, often ornately decorated. JB’s family also celebrates Rizal day, which is independence day for the Philippines. Karls’s family enjoys singing a Filipino Christmas carol, called “Pasko na naman.”. This really helps put them in the Christmas mood, or as Karl says, “You know it’s Christmas when you hear that song.” Karl also has the opportunity to partake in prayer in tagalog, led by his grandmother. He emphasizes the importance of prayer throughout the sacred season; according to Karl, “Filipinos are really into novenas.” (X-mas cont. on pg 12).
The Parol Star, just one part of a colorful Filipino Christmas.
In the Philippines, every home has a "Belen" or nativity scene. Above, Lim family Belen.