why do filipinos start celebrating christmas at midnight of the 25th dec?

Question

i've always wondered about this... can anyone enlighten me?

Answer 1

First of all, let's give this question a chance. It may be borne out of curiosity rather than an attempt to generalize Filipinos. The practice actually goes back to the time when the Philippines was a colony of Spain. The Noche Buena, or midnight celebration/meal, is a custom that the Filipinos got from Spain, and gave their own local flavor. This is a paragraph off a Christmas website regarding Spanish tradition (it is pretty much how Filipinos do things too, with some minor differences):

"Christmas Eve in Spain, called “Nochebuena”, just like in many parts of the world, is celebrated with two very important traditions, eating an enormous and decadent meal, and going to Christmas mass. There is a wide variety of typical foods one might find on plates across Spain on this night. Each region has its own distinct specialties. Among typical dishes served on Christmas Eve and during the days that follow are roast lamb and suckling pig (typically served in the regions of Castilla León, Castilla la Mancha, and Madrid), foul like turkey or duck (commonly prepared in Andalucía), and an enormous variety of seafood, including shrimp, lobster, crab, and various types of fish like hake, trout, sea bream, sea bass, and salmon (common in many regions, but mostly on the costs). For dessert, there is quite a spread of delicacies, among them are turrón and marzapan, desserts made of honey, egg and almonds that are Arabic in origin, as well as polvorones, a sweet bread kind of like elephant ears, and a variety of nuts and dried fruits. To drink, one must have a glass of cava, the Spanish equivalent of champagne, although the Spanish say that cava is much better. After the meal, many Spaniards get their second wind and go to midnight mass, known as “La misa del Gallo”, or “Rooster Mass”, named such because the Rooster."

There are some Filipinos who do not celebrate Christmas this way, but in the Philippines, the vast majority do. The country is predominantly Catholic, and very traditional as well.

I hope this answered your question.

Answer 2

I'm filipino, and i start celebrating on christmas eve, okay? Sheesh, you shouldn't pile an entire race into one category!

Answer 3

Some do, some don't. I know white folks that do the same thing as well. And some blacks and some mexicans.

Lesson here? Assumptions are the mother of all fvckups.

Answer 4

i'm filipino and that's not what me and my family do. we don't go to church. you are generalizing.
most people go to midnight mass on christmas. this goes for all cultures, not only filipinos.