Celebrating Christmas with CCP-EPA PH

Celebrating Christmas with EPA 🇵🇭

🇵🇭 Paskong Pinoy: Celebrating Christmas the Filipino Way

As the year draws to a close, the Cultural Center of the Philippines celebrates the enduring spirit of Paskong Pinoy, a season deeply rooted in faith, community, creativity, and cultural heritage.

The Encyclopedia of Philippine Art (EPA) captures the richness of these traditions—each one shaped by centuries of practice and kept alive by Filipino communities across the archipelago.

This December, we shine a light on the customs, art forms, and personalities that make Filipino Christmas celebrations truly unique.

✨ Faith, Art, and Community: Timeless Traditions of a Filipino Christmas

🏘️ Simbang Gabi: A Tradition of Faith and Community

Lucio San Pedro’s beloved composition “Simbang Gabi” captures the gentle spirituality and communal warmth of the Filipino Christmas season, celebrating a tradition deeply woven into the nation’s cultural identity. Through its lyrical imagery of dawn masses, lantern-lit streets, and the faithful gathering in anticipation of Christ’s birth, the song mirrors the essence of Paskong Pinoy—a season marked by devotion, hope, and togetherness. Musically, the piece reflects San Pedro’s signature style: a blend of Filipino folk sensibilities, lyrical melodies, and rich choral harmonies that evoke both nostalgia and reverence. Its text highlights the ritual of waking before sunrise, the church bells calling the community, and the joy of preparing spiritually for Christmas, reminding listeners that Simbang Gabi is not only a religious observance but also a cherished cultural practice that strengthens family ties and community spirit. By setting this iconic tradition into song, San Pedro preserves and elevates the heartfelt beauty of the Filipino Christmas, ensuring that the essence of Simbang Gabi continues to resonate across generations.

🏘️⭐ Panunuluyan: A Living Christmas Tradition

The Panunuluyan, highlighted in the Encyclopedia of Philippine Art (EPA) as a vital form of Filipino liturgical drama, is a cherished Christmas Eve tradition that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before Christ’s birth. Performed in streets, plazas, or church courtyards, the ritual follows the Holy Couple as they go from house to house, singing or reciting pleas for lodging until they are ultimately welcomed into the church to begin the Misa de Gallo. The EPA documents its rich regional variations—from the chant-like verses of Bulacan to the theatrical stagings of Pampanga and the lantern-lit processions of rural towns—each reflecting the creativity and devotion of local communities. More than a devotional practice, Panunuluyan embodies the Filipino values of faith, compassion, and pakikipagkapwa, preserving a centuries-old tradition where performance and spirituality converge. As communities continue this annual ritual, the Panunuluyan stands as a reminder of the vibrant heritage captured in the Encyclopedia of Philippine Art and of the enduring spirit at the heart of Paskong Pinoy.

🌟 Illuminating Tradition: Pampanga’s Paról Artistry

The parol — our iconic, colorful lantern inspired by the Star of Bethlehem —takes center stage in the Visual Arts volume of the Encyclopedia of Philippine Art. Beyond its familiar glow, the EPA highlights how Pampanga’s master lantern makers have transformed this humble holiday symbol into a world-renowned art form.

In San Fernando, entire generations of artisans have elevated parol-making into a celebrated cultural tradition. Visionaries like Rolando Quiambao and the skilled makers behind the Giant Lantern Festival continue to push the craft forward with stunning hand-cut designs, intricate wirework, and mesmerizing light choreographies that captivate thousands each year.

Their artistry ensures that every lantern is not just decoration, but a glowing reminder of Filipino creativity, heritage, and the enduring spirit of Christmas.

🎄 Christmas Fact of the Month 🧠

🌟 The “Parol”

One of the Philippines’ oldest and most enduring symbols of Christmas

According to studies cited in the Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, the parol began as a simple paper lantern carried by churchgoers attending Simbang Gabi during the Spanish colonial period. Over time, it evolved into an art form—particularly in Pampanga—where artisans developed intricate frameworks using bamboo, colored papel de hapon, and eventually capiz shells and electric lights.

Today, the parol is not just a decoration but a folk-art tradition representing hope, community, and the Filipino spirit of celebrating light amidst darkness.

🎶 “Christmas in Our Hearts”

Is Now Part of the Philippine Cultural Soundscape

Did you know that Jose Mari Chan’s iconic song “Christmas in Our Hearts”—first released in 1990—has become so deeply woven into Filipino holiday traditions that it is referenced in discussions on contemporary Philippine music in the Encyclopedia of Philippine Art?

The EPA notes that modern Christmas songs like Chan’s have shaped the nation’s seasonal soundscape, blending Western musical influences with Filipino sentimentality, themes of family, and community spirit. Because of its gentle melody and heartfelt lyrics, “Christmas in Our Hearts” is now considered a cultural marker: the unofficial signal that the “Ber Months” have begun.

So when you hear it playing everywhere by September, you’re not just listening to a Christmas song—you’re hearing a piece of modern Philippine cultural history.