Christmas Traditions

Well, the family gets together; at least, those parts of the family that are not at logger heads with one another get together. X'mas goodies preparation begins long before X'mas--a very interesting affair for the women. They crowd the kitchen, chat, laugh, and enjoy as they prepare eight different types of sweets collectively known as 'kuswar'. The kuswar is later distributed to non-Christian friends and distant relatives, and neighbours. The cake is the king of kuswar, though few get into the adventure of baking one. No-one wants a flat cake for X'mas, so they usually stay on the safe side and purchase one in the shops. The mid-night mass is a great affair here. The family dresses in new clothes and goes for mid-night mass. Before mass, there is the carol singing, followed by mass, X'mas plays, and games. At home, we set up the X'mas tree and also the X'mas crib. The church even conducts Best Crib and X'mas tree competition. On the evening of X'mas, there are lots of activities in the church, such as dramas, singing, fancy fete, and so on. Plenty of fun on X'mas. I wish you all a merry X'mas.

Here in the Philippines, we have this christmas tradition of hearing mass every 4 in the morning. It is called 9 Mornings or "Simbang Gabi", which will start every 16th of December and ends on th 24th of December at around 11pm. It is said that when you completed all the 9 mornings without skipping any you're wish will come true. Another Christmas tradition will be the gift giving and the celebration itself. We Filipinos make sure that every family member is present during the Christmas Eve for a little get together. That's some of the traditions that I guess will be interesting.