A Lengthy Worthy christmas

Essay Writing Competition 2024
Category: 12 - 15 years
- Winner -

"A Lengthy Worthy Christmas" written by Aivind Huey Emmanuel Belen was chosen as winner in the Senior category 12 -15 years.

This article was submitted in the Kids World Travel Guide Essay Competition 2024.

A Lengthy Worthy Christmas

The world celebrates Christmas every 25th of December. In the Philippines, Christmas celebration begins on the 1st of September and ends in the 1st Sunday of January, during the Feast of the Epiphany. Apart from celebrating faith, the long revelry is every Filipino’s good excuse to celebrate life.

September warms up the country to the long festivity with Christmas songs. A particular favorite is an original Filipino music called "Christmas in Our Hearts" which talks about family, country, and faith altogether. Apart from its warm theme, it has a very catchy melody which makes it easy for everyone to recall and sing-along with.

Although not as popular as "Christmas in Our Hearts" another Filipino Christmas anthem called "Christmas Bonus" fills the airwaves. It is a song reminding employers to make sure employees receive their holiday bonus so that the latter can provide a better life for their family during this special season. Despite the song’s delicate message, it has an upbeat rhythm that can make anyone feel good or even groove.

October promotes the essence of sharing and giving. Stores, both big and small, offer a variety of items that can be given as gifts to loved ones. Moreover, most shops give good shopping deals and discounts which allow Filipinos to plan their gift budget. Those not yet ready to shop can just stroll around shops and appreciate the different Christmas decorations adorning every shop.

November lights up streets more brightly. Traffic lights are no longer lonely as they share more colors in the morning and sparks in the evening with colorful "Parols" or Filipino Christmas star lanterns.

This unique Filipino Christmas symbol varies from the simple bamboo and paper element to the grand "Capiz" or windowpane oyster shell materials. These materials, in both the simple and grand form, reflect different Filipino attitude. Bamboo, which the Philippines export to the world generously, are tall and treelike grasses that are normally tough yet flexible. Filipinos, like Bamboos, toughly faces trials and overcomes them with smiles and grace. Capiz, or windowpane oyster shells that hold pearls, abundantly grow in the warm waters of the Philippines just like how Filipinos beautifully thrive in a developing country.

December lifts mood and spirituality. Children sing Christmas carols from home to home and sing a song of gratitude if you hand them treats or coins. Catholic churches hold "Simbang Gabi", or the series of nine dawn devotional masses that lead to Christmas day. Older folks say that hearing one "Simbang Gabi" blesses your entire day while completing the 9-day mass grants your fervent wish.

The way from the church, where you heard "Simbang Gabi", to your home is guided by the aroma of two famous Filipino Christmas delicacies, "Puto Bumbong" and "Bibingka". Both treats have glutinous rice and dairy products as main ingredients. The diverse ways of preparing these delicacies contributed to their flavor and their texture. "Puto Bumbong" is a sweet and sticky delicacy. Further, it is also soft and chewy because of steaming the ingredients in bamboo tubes called "bumbong". On the other hand, "Bibingka" is sweet and salty. Further, it is fluffy, and pancake like because of baking the ingredients in between iron-like clay on its top and bottom.

January connects Filipinos to family and friends. Like the magi, Filipinos make sincere effort to travel so that they can reunite with their loved ones and spend time together before returning to their realities. They feast together over food, songs, and karaoke. They take photos to keep memories of good times and so that they have something to look back to and draw strength from when times get a little rough and tough.

When Philippine Christmas season hits, come home to the Philippines with a great energy for singing or dancing, with feet ready for walking and shopping, and with an empty stomach keen for every gathering. After all, life and Christmas are both worth celebrating.

In the Age category 12 - 15 years, Aivind's excellent essay was chosen as a winning entry. Your essay is a real pleasure to read. Congratulations!

Thank you very much for sharing your insights into your home country's unique Christmas season! And you are very right, we have to cherish and celebrate life, every day!

Aivind is student at the OB Montessori Center Santa Ana Manila in the Philippines. His home language is Filipino, English is his second language.