Holidays!

Like everywhere, there are holiday traditions in the Philippines.  Here's one:

It begins with a wish.  Then, starting on December 15, church services are held at the Catholic church every morning at 4:00a.  Folks attend mass every morning until Christmas morning.  At each service you pray for God to grant you the wish.  Assuming you go to all 10 services, the belief is that God will grant you the wish you have been praying for in the coming year.  This becomes your Christmas "Gift".

Here's another:  During this time of year, you will find children caroling from door to door, every night.  Dressed in holiday attire, they will sing a number of carols while doing different dance routines.  The pure joy on their faces...  It is precious!  Of course, they appreciate a donation... peso's, chocolate.. anything.  Of course, these gifts are given with love.

Also, it seems that just about every barangay has some sort of outdoor holiday display.   Made of this or that (ie. coconuts, palm fronds, plastic soda bottles, straws, bottle caps, discarded wood, tin), the displays are really quite creative.  Last night, as I was taking my nightly trash run, I ran across a large party in the street outside of my house.  They had erected a large tent, brought out dozens of chairs and of course, a videoke machine.  There were singing contests, soup was made for all, dancing....  this, on a Monday night.  A highlight for me was surely the transvestite majorette routine!  Truly a fun community event.  I got a ton of pictures!  I went to bed around midnight but when I awoke at 4:30 there were still people singing.  By the time I showered and walked to work, all evidence of the party had been taken down and put away.  Nothing but memories.

I can imagine there was a time when community based traditions like this were common in the United States.  Are those times lost forever?  I believe with all my heart that the US would be a better country if we learned a little from the poor but honest filipinos in my village!