While other Christian countries tend to focus more
on the festiveness of Easter, Filipino Catholics put much more emphasis on Good
Friday, the day Christ died, in the belief that suffering is as much a part of
the salvation that comes at the end. Holidays
The following are celebrated Filipino national holidays. In addition to these holidays, the government may declare other special or non-working holidays such as during general elections, or periods of calamity.
New Year’s Day (Celebrated January 1)
The celebration starts on New Year's Eve with fireworks and the media noche (midnight snack). Throughout the night until early morning, there is a constant explosion of firecrackers and rockets from people's homes. New Year's Day is greeted by noise-banging on pots and pans to keep the bad spirits away. There are many folk beliefs associated with New Years such as opening all doors and windows during the first day of the New Year to bring good luck.
Holy Week (Celebrated March/April)
While other Christian countries tend to focus more
on the festiveness of Easter, Filipino Catholics put much more emphasis on Good
Friday, the day Christ died, in the belief that suffering is as much a part of
the salvation that comes at the end.
During this time, most Filipino Catholics construct and adorn small buildings throughout the community used for worship and prayer. Chants and songs are vocalized and magnified from a speaker heard far away.
On Friday (Good Friday), men (and occasionally women) create an extremely realistic reenactment of Jesus Christ’s suffering by parading through the streets carrying crosses and succumbing to whips and lashes from others.
Many Manila business people return to their home-province at this time to spend time with family and participate in Holy Week activities.
Bataan Day (Celebrated April 9)
This day is the anniversary of the fall of Bataan to the Japanese and the beginning of the infamous "Death March" in 1942. A re-enactment is often displayed. This holiday is also referred to as Heroism Day and Araw ng Kagitingan.
Labor Day (Celebrated May 1)
This holiday is marked by parades and gatherings. Also the beginning of Santa Cruzan celebrations, dubbed "fiesta month" as streets in provincial towns often blocked with pageants, processions for a nine-day festival. It includes the Flores de Mayo-flower processions.
Independence Day (Celebrated June 12)
This is the day in 1898 when E. Aguinaldo announced the independence of the Philippines from Spain.
All Saints Day (Celebrated November 1)
Filipinos remember their dead, clean the graves, and decorate them with flowers. While the purpose is somber, the effect is a picnic, full of merrymaking and laughter. Everyone goes to the cemetery, and some even stay overnight.
Bonifacio Day (Celebrated November 30)
This holiday celebrates the birth of Andres Bonifacio who led the 1896 revolt against the Spanish. Bonifacio, a national patriot of the Philippines, founded the Katipunan, a revolutionary group known as “KKK.” (KKK has no connection to the American group with the same initials). Most banks are closed on this day.
Christmas Day (Celebrated December 25)
Filipinos celebrate the longest Christmas season in the world. It starts from October and runs through January. Midnight mass and family gatherings on Christmas are the center of the holiday. The Feast of the Three Kings on January 6 ends the season. People attend the misa de gallo (morning mass) for nine days prior to Christmas. People go from house to house caroling in return for gifts of food and money. Houses are decorated with parol (star-shaped lanterns) made of bamboo sticks covered with colored paper.
The early kick-off of this holiday seasons has been attributed to the fact that most Filipinos use public transportation and find difficulty transporting packages purchased at stores. An addition reason is that they typically don’t have the cash or credit card to purchase many gifts at once, so many Filipinos will purchase gifts over many months.
Rizal Day
(Celebrated
December 30)
This holiday is in remembrance of the national hero of the Philippines. This day memorializes the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal. He wrote the "Noli Me Tangere" and "Il Filibusterismo".