My Manila

The Way of the Cross is a devotion that many Filipino Catholics go through during Lent, especially during Holy Week. So people can do thi...

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

Catholicism and other Christian religions may be dominant in the Philippines, but many Filipinos see no inconsistency in adopting feng shui...

Simbang Gabi (night mass) or Misa de Gallo (Spanish, which literally translates to rooster's mass and means dawn mass), is a traditio...

Good Friday is a holiday observed by most Christians, commemorating the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary . ...

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

Tonight, thousands of Filipinos will gather in churches for the Christmas Eve Mass, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. When I wa...

Beginning with food! Nothing is more typically Pinoy than comforting each other, celebrating or just gathering to talk, than doing so with l...

Because of the Philippines' hot and humid weather, taking a siesta after lunch is common practice especially if your work requires labo...

Being mostly a Catholic country, the Philippines has been on holiday since yesterday, Maundy Thursday , the first day of the Easter Triduum ...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ter...

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 sce...

As a mostly Catholic country, the Philippines does not really celebrate Halloween. We observe All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Soul...

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 an...

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...