Iloilo’s Finest - Events, Food, Places

The Christmas Parol

This post is long overdue. And yes, it is already Christmas. At least here in the Philippines. Christmas here in the Philippines is a four-month affair. Any month that ends in “ber.”

So as soon as it is September 1, you could already hear jolly carols playing on the radio. Some families may even start putting up Christmas decorations in their homes. Sadly, the decorations now are not as prominent as I remember. When I was still small (in years), I could see almost all houses in the neighborhood decorated with Christmas lights and decorations, especially the parol. Now, decorations are scant. Some people will comment that this is due to economic problems. Nevertheless, the Christmas spirit is no less felt and observed, even to the most poor of us.

Most towns here is Iloilo would decorate their plazas during December. You could drive around Iloilo and see every town’s decorations. They’re all really very nice and you always feel the Christmas spirit. You can stop at every town and eat or just roam around. They have stalls of food and some even have bands playing. It is really very festive.

Our Christmas ritual (with my cousins) is to go to Pototan. The town plaza is really pretty and beautiful during Christmas. They have a belen (the Nativity scene) and a Christmas tree and lots of pretty things. There are loads of stalls loaded with food limited only by your stomach size and the change in your pocket. There is also a perya (carnival) with games and carnival rides.

Going to these places would surely never fail to make you feel like a child again.

Next: Coming Back to Our Hometown