Although New Year is a distinct occasion, most Filipinos
consider its celebration as a part of observing the long Christmas season. The
New Year’s Eve is a moment when people welcome the arrival of another year as
the clock strikes at midnight. New Year is supposed to be merrier than Christmas
because it is more of a secular occasion. Christmas has a religious
significance because the day is identified with the birth of Christ while New
Year is a day to start another Gregorian calendar year. Despite the fact that
Filipinos put more meaning on Christmas than the New Year, both occasions are given grandiose celebrations.
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| New Year's Eve is also an occasion for gift giving |
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| Above pictures are favorite foods on New Year's Eve |
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| beer, a favorite New Year's Eve drink |
Like Christmas, fiesta, wedding, birthday and other
occasions, New Year Eve is the time when members of the family, relatives and
friends gather to be with the company of each other. Parties and parlor games are
held, music is played for a dance or a listening, videoke or guitar or in some
cases a band accompanies a song, gifts are exchanged and foods are served to people. The extent and quality of foods available
and activities done are determined by the financial status or capability of a
family. People who are more religious attend a mass before waiting for the arrival
of the New Year.
The many activities that people are doing keep them up all
through the night. As a result, they sleep late in the following morning, the
New Year’s Day which is an official public holiday. In contrast to the lively
atmosphere that characterized the celebration of the previous evening, the following
day is usually almost devoid of people’s activities. People are in their home
resting or sleeping. Government offices and private shops and businesses are
closed. And many vehicles are off the street resulting in a significantly lighter
traffic.
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| round shaped fruits on the table |
Some superstitious practices
that are probably of Chinese origins and not rooted on Christian belief
influence the observance and welcoming of the New Year. Said practices are believed to bring forth good
luck and ward off bad luck and evil spirits. Although many people do not
subscribe to the ideas, other people observe the practice anyway for the sake
of social tradition. Making loud sounds, putting 12 kinds of round fruits on
the table, wearing polka dot dress, and spreading coins around the house are
said to bring in good luck. Jumping 12 times on New Year’s Eve is said to make
children become taller. When the New Year’s noise has died down, the sound of
an animal that is heard first is a sign of a good or a bad fortune. A crow of a
roster or a bark of a dog is a bad sign while the moo of a cow or a water
buffalo or a bleat of a goat is a good sign for the coming year. Those are some
of the many Filipino superstitious beliefs that are related to the celebration
of New Year.
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| fireworks display |
It is the practice of the Filipinos to make loud sound when
the clock strikes midnight to bring in good luck and drive away evil spirits. People
make noise by blowing horns, blowing the horns of cars, playing music loud, and
banging cans and kitchen utensils among other actions. But the most popular and
effective way of making noise is the use of firecrackers and fireworks. In
relation to it, some people, before the New Year’s Eve, set aside money to buy
those stuffs. The varied explosions, shapes, light colors, sparks and smokes
caused by the exploding fireworks in the ground or in the sky are for some
people a brilliant spectacle in the night sky. But for other people including
the animals the burst of explosives can scare them out of their wits. There is
inherent risk in exploding fireworks because people might get injured or
properties might be burned. For this reason, the sale and use of fireworks and
firecracker are strictly regulated or in some instances discouraged by the
government.
The western influenced making of resolutions for the New
Year is a practice that is adapted by the Filipinos. People hope to change
their character or behavior for a better life in the coming year. Some put
their resolutions into writings while others just commit them to their memory. And
still other people do not make New Year’s resolutions at all, because for them,
if there is something to be changed or corrected, they should do it right there
and then without waiting for the year end to come to do it.
Happy New Year!
