A journey around the parking lot

The Way of the Cross is a devotion that many Filipino Catholics go through during Lent, especially during Holy Week. So people can do this mini pilgrimage to the scenes of Christ's sufferings and death without disturbing those attending other Holy Week services inside the church, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish closed off its parking lot and set up the stations around it.

Christmas elegance

The Ayala Museum's very elegant interpretation of the traditional Filipino parol, or Star of Bethlehem.

Protector

Catholicism and other Christian religions may be dominant in the Philippines, but many Filipinos see no inconsistency in adopting feng shui elements in their homes and commercial establishments. This jade fu dog, which is more properly called a Chinese guardian lion, was on one side of a bakery's display case. I assume there was another at the other side, since they're always supposed to come in pairs.

The carol of the winds

Simbang Gabi (night mass) or Misa de Gallo (Spanish, which literally translates to rooster's mass and means dawn mass), is a traditional novena of masses before Christmas that many Filipino Catholics practice. Among Catholics, a novena is a nine-day devotion to obtain special graces. Simbang Gabi at the Ateneo Church of the Gesù started on December 15 with a performance of Filipino and foreign Christmas carols by the Banda Zabat brass band a few hours before the evening mass. Banda Zapat comes from Gapan City in the province of Nueva Ecija, 92 kilometers away.

No mass

Good Friday is a holiday observed by most Christians, commemorating the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. Unlike during other holy days, there will be no masses in Roman Catholic churches anywhere (nor tomorrow, Holy Saturday). Services will still gather people together in churches; however, the focus will be on mourning Jesus' death and contemplating his sacrifice. Here in the Philippines, quite a few people still recite the Pasyon, a poetic narrative of Jesus' passion, death and resurrection, in a custom which dates back to the 18th century; and many more will go through the Stations of the Cross. Though it is a school church and not a parish church, the Ateneo Church of the Gesù will also have its own Good Friday service. This is my view of the church everyday when I leave work in the early evening—though the color of the sky isn't always this odd but pretty shade.

We'd rather sit, thank you

So far, we are the only culture I've encountered which serves cocktails where guests sit around a table. Have you ever experienced such a thing?

The eve of Jesus' birth

Tonight, thousands of Filipinos will gather in churches for the Christmas Eve Mass, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. When I was a child, I remember that it was truly a midnight Mass; nowadays, most churches celebrate it at 10:00pm. The cribs in nativity scenes in churches have remained empty throughout the Advent season, and it will be during tonight's Mass that the image of the baby Jesus will be installed. The custom used to be widespread in homes too, but no longer, as it means having to create a little ceremony for it. This almost life-size nativity scene, or part of it rather, is in Harbour Square beside Manila Bay.


In case we all get too busy tomorrow, I would like to greet you all now a blessed Christmas!

And now, back to our regular programming

Beginning with food! Nothing is more typically Pinoy than comforting each other, celebrating or just gathering to talk, than doing so with lots of food. Seafood pasta (squid rings and shrimp in spicy tomato sauce) from Pino restaurant.

Siesta time

Because of the Philippines' hot and humid weather, taking a siesta after lunch is common practice especially if your work requires laboring under the sun. What made me smile about these construction workers is the fact that they were building a new library in the Ateneo de Manila University. When I was still a student, a friend and I would always take noon naps in the library. We never got caught.

Into your hands I commend my spirit

Being mostly a Catholic country, the Philippines has been on holiday since yesterday, Maundy Thursday, the first day of the Easter Triduum. Yesterday, the mass, which commemorates the last supper, included a re-enactment of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and ended with the body of Christ (the consecrated hosts) being placed in the altar of repose, where they will stay until the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. There are no masses today, Good Friday. Instead, other prayer services commemorating the passion and death of Jesus are held: the recitation of and sermons about his seven last words, the way of the cross, and the chanting of the pasyon (the paschal narrative in poetry). There will be no masses tomorrow, Black Saturday, either. But vigils will be held in most churches, which will culminate early Sunday morning in the salubong (meeting), a celebration of the first meeting of the resurrected Christ with his mother Mary. This is a portion of the arched ceiling of the Binondo Church, which is covered with paintings depicting scenes from the life of Jesus. The rectangular paintings at the bottom are the guides for the way of the cross, half of which are on the other side of the church. In most churches, one just goes around the periphery. Here, it seems that one is meant to cross from one side of the church to the other as one prays and remembers the suffering and death that Jesus Christ had to go through.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the first day of Lent for many Christians all over the world. Here in Metro Manila, and in most of the Philippines, Catholics went to Mass for the imposition of ashes. The black ashes are placed on the forehead in the shape of a cross and they come from the palms used during last year's Palm Sunday, which have been burned and blessed. I don't have any photo of this ritual unfortunately, and this is the only image I have which has any relation to this day. This is a small portion of the crypt of the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, used only for those who were cremated. The most popular of the biblical verses used during the imposition of ashes is from Genesis 3:19, "Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return."

Congratulations and be prosperous!

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Metro Manila has a very large Chinese population and though it's not a legal holiday, the Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated in many parts of the metro. The newspaper we subscribe to has a special section about it today and many of the ads—especially those for restaurants, malls, banks and airlines—follow the theme. This is also the time when we receive tikoy (nian gao) from our Chinese friends. Tikoy is a sweet, glutinous rice cake which is ready to eat out of the box but which we usually slice, dip in egg, and pan fry. It's usually white or brown depending on the kind of sugar used to make it, and in recent years, flavored varieties like ube (purple yam) and pandan have become popular. Tikoy is the most common Chinese New Year treat among Filipinos and it is considered good luck to eat it because nian gao is a homonym for "every year higher and higher."

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Angela in Nice, who also keeps a Valbonne daily photo blog, tagged me yesterday to reveal five details about myself (as if I don't do that every time I write comments! heehee) so here goes:

1. I've been a bookworm every since I can remember. My stack of books waiting to be read will keep me occupied for at least five years—and it keeps growing every time we visit bookstores.
2. I usually get motion sickness in enclosed vehicles. I need to feel the wind on my face.
3. I'm 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) tall.
4. If I have to choose between chocolate and potato chips, I'll choose potato chips.
5. I'm an Aries and was born in the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse. (Do you know your astrological signs?)

Now I'm supposed to tag five other people. I hope they'll come out and play!

1. Elaine in Willits, California, USA
2. Saretta in Molfetta, Italy
3. Marley in Cheltenham, UK
4. Priyanka in Delhi, India
5. Nobu in Tokyo and Funabashi, Japan
   

Veneration

At the end of the Christmas Eve Mass, baby Jesus is again taken out of His crib to allow the congregation to welcome and venerate Him, much as the shepherds and wise men did in the Nativity story. One person holds the infant and another holds the napkin to wipe the statue after each kiss. More than one statue is presented to the congregation for this ritual, otherwise it'll be Christmas day before everyone finishes.

Jesus is born

The infant Jesus was installed in the crib that was empty at the start of the Christmas Eve Mass, which we call the Misa de Gallo. The term is quite inaccurate, actually, because gallo is Spanish for rooster, so it should refer to a dawn Mass. There was a time when Christmas Eve Masses were really held at midnight too, but nowadays, many are held earlier. The Mass we attended was at ten o'clock in the evening.

The season of waiting

A Catholic priest friend once told us that if there is only one piece of Christmas decoration we could put up, it should be the nativity scene. Owing to the fact that Christianity was brought to the Philippines by the Spaniards, we call the nativity scene by the Spanish name for Bethlehem, where Jesus was born: the belen. This is the nativity scene in the Ateneo Church of the Gesù. Since Jesus hasn't been born yet, the crib is still empty. The image of the infant Jesus will only be installed during the Christmas Eve Mass. In contrast to the modern and simple architecture of the Gesù, the nativity scene is very Filipino—at least during the Spanish colonial period. The clothes of Mary and Joseph are typical of the era and so is the building reproduced on the screen. The parol (Christmas star) is made of capiz shell, used extensively in handcrafted, decorative Filipino products from jewelry to home accessories.

Trick or treat

As a mostly Catholic country, the Philippines does not really celebrate Halloween. We observe All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2), and many Filipinos will be trooping to the cemeteries this weekend. Many who work in Metro Manila but are from other provinces have started traveling to their hometowns this afternoon. The way Filipinos remember their dearly departed shock a lot of people from other cultures. During this weekend, our cemeteries will be like huge picnic grounds—family reunions with food and drink and children playing games. Most people will have more than one family member—extended family, not just immediate—buried in the same cemetery, so people will be walking around too, trying to visit all their loved ones. Prayers will be offered of course, but mostly, people will be telling stories about those who have passed on—especially the hilarious ones, so there will be lots of laughter too. Honestly, we're even like this during wakes (unless the death was violent or the one who died was still a child). Don't think of it as irreverent. Rather, think of it as a celebration of life—that of the one who has passed away, and that which we continue to live right now. So it's a quiet night in Metro Manila tonight. Except in some exclusive subdivisions (the term we use to refer to gated communities) which organize trick-or-treating for the children of families who live there. As a sign that a household is participating—that it has treats for the kids—the house has to be decorated for Halloween. The kids in Magallanes Village in Makati City are probably going around right now. I hope they reach this house—the family not only decorated the balcony and pedestrian gate, but the gate to the garage and even the street corner!

Almost-priest

Meet my young friend Jason K. Dy. He is an artist with several exhibits and illustrated books in his name. He also happens to be a Jesuit and was ordained into the diaconate last Saturday. The Society of Jesus has one of the longest formation and education programs among Catholic priests. Depending on one's intellectual, psychological, emotional and spiritual maturity, a young man's formation can take from eight to thirteen years. And this is usually after getting their Bachelor's degrees. Which means that by the time they are ordained into the priesthood, Jesuits are usually in their 30s. I had to do a little research to find out the difference between a deacon and a priest. The word deacon comes from the Greek word diakonos which means messenger, servant, minister. They can preach, proclaim the gospel during masses, preside over funeral rites, and administer the sacraments of baptism and matrimony. But they cannot hear confession, anoint the sick or say mass. At the risk of getting a scolding from my Jesuit friends, I say that it sounds like being a part-time priest. Anyway, getting back to Jason… This ordination into the diaconate is the last step of his preparation. In half a year, hopefully, he will be ordained into the priesthood. Please join me in wishing him the best of luck and the blessings of God's grace, that whatever ministry he is assigned and wherever it may take him, he will always remain strong, good, and true to his vocation, his faith and the people that he will serve. Oh, and one last note: Being the youngest in his batch, Jason was assigned to give the thanksgiving speech at the end of the ceremony. That is so typically Filipino: pass the most hated task to the youngest in the family because he has no choice but to obey his elders. Poor kid.

Lunch, ma'm?

Two weeks after the frame of the walls went up (see yesterday's Bare bones), the main room of our new office is starting to shape up—of course, it's now not just one room but several small rooms and one largish work area. I wanted to take a photo of the work in progress, and when I went in the room just before leaving yesterday, I had totally forgotten that it was noon and that the workers had settled down to have their lunch—on the floor, eating with their fingers from plastic bags. I politely asked them if I could take a picture anyway and they consented but averted their faces. Notice how they removed their slippers and put a sheet of paper on the newly-laid vinyl tiles to avoid staining them. And despite their meager fare, these men epitomize Filipino hospitality—the first thing I heard when I entered the room was, "Ma'm, kain po tayo" (Ma'm, let's eat). Of course, this same Filipino hospitality demands that the other person, if you notice that the food is not enough to share, politely decline by saying a plausible excuse like, "Thank you, but my husband is waiting for me at home." (However, if there's lots of food, you have to have some—even if you're full to bursting—or you'll end up insulting the person.)