Christmas Greetings!

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas!

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The birth of Jesus

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

                                                                                         Matthew 1:20-21 

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Thank you!

Photo Essay: Gearing up for the holiday festivities

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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

Going home for Christmas

For all those heading back home this Christmas, wishing you all a safe and pleasant journey.  May you all be filled with love and the wondrous joys of this holiday season.

And here's a lovely soundtrack to complete your journey back home:

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

Christmas Greetings

Chestnuts roasting on an open fireJack Frost nipping at your noseYuletide carols being sung by a choirAnd folks dressed up like Eskimos

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoeHelp to make the season brightTiny little tots with their eyes all aglowWill find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa's on his wayHe's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleighAnd every mother's child is going to spyTo see if reindeer really know how to fly

And so I'm offering this simple phraseTo kids from one to ninety-twoAlthough it's been said many times, many waysMerry Christmas to you

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Wishing you all the very best!

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Image credit: Anderson Automotive Consultants 

and special thanks to Ms. Jane P.

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Stollen

"Bread deals with living things, with giving life, with growth, with the seed, the grain that nurtures.  It is not coincidence that we say bread is the staff of life."

                                                                                                                   Lionel Poilane

There’s an abundance of food tonight for Noche Buena.  But if you ask me what I treasure the most from it all – it’s the German loaf bread, stollen, given to me by cousin.

I will enjoy it tonight, that’s for sure, because it is the very first time I will eat one.  You see, beginning last week, I’ve been noticing and inquiring about stollen at the various German and Swiss eateries here at Panglao Island. “I’ve never seen one,” I’d tell them. 

And lo and behold … a couple of days ago, I did get one as a gift from my cousin.  This can only be serendipity!  And as such, I deem it an auspicious omen for this Christmas and for the entire New Year; giving me greater confidence to expect more pleasant surprises in 2012.

This stollen from my cousin also led me back to my youthful days in Manhattan's Yorkville area.  And the question that came to mind was this: with a number of German-American friends and tennis buddies (whom I've made in the nearby John Jay Park), how come none of them introduced me to stollen, when in fact, I've turned them on to adobo and halo-halo?

And it suddenly dawned upon me: World War II.

Unlike the Japanese-Americans who were forcefully removed from their homes and placed in internment camps, the German-Americans were spared similar fate, but they experienced a life during the war of unfair arrests and intense interrogations without legal representation, and they were constantly proving themselves to be loyal Americans.  Apparently, such traumatic existence led many parents to raise their children oblivious to German culture -- even after the war. Thus, among other things, the sacredness of their ethnic foodstuffs was not celebrated.  And come to think of it, their Oktoberfest was celebrated only by certain circles back then.

On the other hand, my Italian-American friends, unlike my German-American friends, have always retained their freedom to enjoy and celebrate their old-world traditions.  Thus, on Saturdays before Christmas, whenever I’d stop by their houses, their mothers would have me bringing home Panettones!  This is Italy’s answer to Germany’s Stollen, and to America’s fruit cake.

So, tonight before I feast on this Stollen fruit cake, I shall say a little prayer – that my old German-American friends begin, if they haven’t already, to learn and share their old-world culture with their children.

A quick thought about the American fruit cake: though widely distributed as Christmas gifts in the States, I never had any fond memory of it to speak of.  Actually, I cringed whenever receiving one, for i'd only end up putting it in the fridge to be forgotten.  Some friends claimed they used their fruit cake either as doorstop or as deadly projectile against those carousing cats in the middle of the night.

As one Polish-American friend used to say, “I’d rather eat gruel than one of those fruit cakes!”

Merry Christmas, everybody!
 

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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Parol

They are local Christmas lanterns, traditionally star-shaped, made of bamboo and paper.  They come in various sizes and shapes, but the basic star pattern remains the all-time favorite, because it evokes to the Filipinos the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Kings to the manger.  

The word parol is derived from the Spanish word farol, meaning "lantern".  An artisan named Francisco Estanislao, in 1928, was known to have originally created the five-pointed parol made of bamboo strips covered with papél de japón (Japanese paper).  It was illuminated by a candle or kalburo (carbide).

In the Philippines, the paról has become an iconic Christmas symbol as the Christmas Tree is to Western cultures. The parol has also been traditionally associated with the Simbang Gabi, which is a series of dawn masses that lasts for nine days. And originally, the illuminated lanterns were used by barrio folks to light the paths on the way to church, until electricity became available nationwide.

Many villages, schools, and social groups during the holiday season hold competitions to determine who can make the best parol. One such event is the annual Giant Lantern Festival in Pampanga, which attracts various crafts men and visitors from all over the country.

Recently, here in Panglao Island, a parol exhibit was held at the Troman Building Alona.  These Christmas lanterns (as shown in this photo essay) were created using recycled materials by local students from five different schools.  The exhibit was called "Starry Starry Christmas;" the intention was to spread awareness on the merits of recycling. 

Starry Starry Christmas was conceived and organized by 

educator and art lover, Nina Mancao. 

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For those who have missed  the exhibit, these parols will grace Saffron on December 28th for Amorita's Holiday Charity Dinner and Mini-Concert to Preserve and Promote Boholano Arts. The Loboc Children's Choir will perform.  Please contact Amorita for further information.

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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