Magical Ways to Celebrate Christmas in the Philippines Like a Local

Trade snow for sunshine! Use our holiday travel guide to learn how to celebrate an authentic Christmas in the Philippines. Find tips on parties, gift-giving, and festive traditions.

Attend Simbang Gabi (Dawn Mass)

Simbang Gabi

Simbang Gabi is perhaps the most significant religious tradition of Filipino Christmas, involving a series of nine dawn masses held daily from December 16th until Christmas Eve. Waking up before sunrise to attend these services is a sign of devotion, often done as a nine-day petition, and the air outside the church is filled with a unique blend of solemnity and festive excitement. Enjoying this tradition like a local means enduring the early hour, but the reward is the unique, communal atmosphere and the delicious sight of vendors selling traditional Filipino breakfast favorites right outside the church doors.

Feast on Puto Bumbong and Bibingka

Puto Bumbong and Bibingka

No Simbang Gabi experience is complete without indulging in the classic Filipino rice cakes sold by hawkers outside the church. Puto Bumbong is a sticky purple rice cake steamed in bamboo tubes, served with margarine, sugar, and grated coconut, while Bibingka is a spongy rice cake baked in a clay pot and traditionally topped with salted egg and cheese. These warm, sweet treats are deeply ingrained in the Filipino Christmas experience and offer the perfect sweet and savory reward for attending the early morning mass.

Hang a Parol (Christmas Lantern)

Parol

The Parol is the iconic Filipino Christmas lantern, typically shaped like a five-pointed star and symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem. Unlike Western Christmas lights, the Parol is central to Filipino decoration and can range from simple paper designs to elaborate, brightly lit creations often hung outside homes and along streets. To enjoy Christmas like a local, ensure you have a beautifully lit Parol hanging prominently in your window or outside your house, signifying hope and the arrival of the holiday season to the entire neighborhood.

Join the Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Feast)

Noche Buena

The Noche Buena is the main, mandatory feast celebrated by families immediately after attending the Christmas Eve mass (Misa de Gallo) at midnight. This festive gathering is a sprawling, late-night banquet where family members, often in new outfits, come together to share traditional dishes like lechon (roast pig), Filipino-style spaghetti, queso de bola (Edam cheese), ham, and fruit salad. Partaking in the Noche Buena means sharing a meal with loved ones that typically lasts until the early hours of Christmas Day, marking the official end of the fasting season and the beginning of the celebration.

Attend the Media Noche (New Year's Eve Feast)

Media Noche

While technically not Christmas, the Media Noche (New Year's Eve Feast) is a mandatory part of the Filipino holiday season, extending the Christmas spirit of feasting and family gathering. To ring in the New Year like a local, the family table must be filled with food to ensure prosperity in the coming year, and often features twelve different round fruits to represent the twelve months. The atmosphere is loud, filled with fireworks, horns, and celebratory noises intended to drive away bad luck and welcome a prosperous new year.

Visit Your Ninongs and Ninangs (Godparents)

Family gathering during the Christmas holiday

A deeply loved Filipino tradition is visiting one’s Ninongs and Ninangs (godparents) during the Christmas season to ask for their blessing (often done by placing their hand on one's forehead) and, if you are still young, to receive Aguinaldo (a Christmas gift, usually cash). Enjoying this tradition means dressing nicely, making the rounds to their homes on Christmas Day or the following weeks, and expressing respect and gratitude to these extended family members who hold a special place in your life.

See the Giant Lantern Festival in Pampanga

Giant lantern festival in Pampanga

For the ultimate visual experience of Filipino Christmas, plan a trip to San Fernando, Pampanga, to witness the Giant Lantern Festival (Ligligan Parul). Held in December, this competition showcases massive, intricately designed parols that feature thousands of dancing lights and colorful patterns, often controlled by complex wiring. Seeing these enormous, dazzling lanterns compete is a spectacular event that showcases Filipino ingenuity and the sheer dedication to making Christmas a visually stunning, unforgettable celebration.