New Year In The Philippines
Just like Christmas, New Year’s Eve is a time for celebration for the whole family. New year is new beginning, we welcome the new year full of hope for a better year. For me, this is the happiest time of the year. Most filipinos observed many traditional beliefs during this time, let me share some things that I know and follow. I usually start my preparation after Christmas… the earlier, the better.
Days before New year’s Eve:
- General cleaning of the house – whatever cleaning we made the whole year, there are things we sometimes forgot or disregard to clean. Broken things, empty bottles or canisters, worn out clothes should be dispose.
- Appliance, furniture, fixture or thing that needs repair should be fix before new year.
- Check your indoor and outdoor plants if they need extra care or if you need more in a certain place.
- Dispose all empty bottles or canisters if they are not needed or replenished.
- Make a shopping list for condiments and other food supplies needed. Rice and salt containers should be full.
- Buy a new table cloth for dining table if possible.
- Buy anything new that you can wear, polka dotted design as much as possible. It can either be a shirt, a blouse, a dress or even an underwear… anything that you can wear. Shopping malls usually have their year end sale, grab the opportunity.
- Pay all the household and personal bills.
- Every member of the family should be at home before countdown.
- It is common belief in the Philippines that loud noise and sounds drives away the bad spirits. Inspite of the firecracker ban, many filipinos are still buying firecrackers. Make a safer means of loud noise such as stereo, banging of pots, torotot, etc.
Before countdown:
- Open all doors, windows, drawers, closets and lights.
- Prepare the medya noche at the dining table. I usually have pasta or pansit, salad, ham, bread, 13 round variety of fruits ( seedless and sweet fruits), castanas, tikoy, round candies and chocolates.
- Prepare coins for the entire family’s pockets.
- I put a coin on every corner of the house, every step of the stairs, drawers, closets, windows and doors. This is my father’s belief which I still follow.
- Hang thirteen pieces of grapes or a small pineapple on your main door.
- If you live in a community that loves fireworks, make sure that you have ear plugs.
Happy New Year!
- Ask the children in your home to jump. Its a belief that children who jump will make them taller. At my age, I still jump with my children.
- From the main door, drop some coins and round sweet candies inside the house.
- Welcome the new year with loud and safe noise.
- Change the old calendar to new one.
First Day of the year:
- Medya noche with the family.
- Don’t forget to eat some tikoy or rice cake. It is a belief that sweet and sticky food when eaten on the first minute of the year brings prosperity. It can also be serve at breakfast.
- Avoid unnecessary expenses.
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Merry Christmas!
From glitchline, wishing you the timeless treasures of Christmas… the warmth of home, the love of family and the company of good friends. Have a blessed and meaningful Christmas.
Customized Blogger Template
The screenshot below was my old template I’ve used for 2 almost two months. I am attracted to sunset that’s why I use it as my header image now. Got to make this post to remind me of my old template design. 2 nights ago, I want a new lighter look and feel to my blog… I was thinking of a template that I can easily customized depends on the season and my mood.
I’ve searched for free template design and I’ve found the screenshot below from dzelque Blogger Templates. I really like it… what happened to the lighter look and feel?
Here it is now. It’s a lot different… I’ve widened the body, transferred the sidebar from left to right side, widened the sidebar, customized colors, sunset on my header. I still have many customization to do… for now, I leave it the way it is. I hope you like it, its not that professional but I’m proud that I’ve customized it myself. It’s a good start already. 
UPDATE 12/28/07:
The template still loads slow because of the images and widgets. I don’t know if it was a bug but I can’t update technorati since I’ve used the template. I’ve settle for the default template and made some modification.. its easier to debug default codes.
Katufors Christmas Party
What: Katufor’s Christmas Party
When: Dec.15 6pm – Dec.16 6am
Who: Katufors
Where: Villa Majia, Pansol, Laguna
Another Katufor GEB, our Christmas party. Katufor derived from the word “kain-tulog-forum”, don’t take it seriuosly… its just a name. This was our second time at Villa Mejia in Pansol, Laguna. We seldom see each other, we communicate through mobile SMS, forum, friendster and YM, we make it a point to organize such get together once in a while. Maybe, the next GEB might be on summer vacation.
Anyway, most of the members came from Bulacan and Nueva Ecija, some from Manila, Caloocan, Batangas, Laguna. Members present: Ace, Alexis, Athan, Cadaver, Fatima, Glitch, Grande, Jac, Jade, Jearic, Jeff, Jhanrich, Mafel, Metal, Mybernal, Nathalie, Neth, Nol, Phonetics and Sarah plus 5 non members. The companion of Jhanrich, Jap from Nueva Ecija became a member after the event.
Foods and drinks: Canadian ham, BBQ, Litson Manok, Beef Brocolli and Macaroni Salad plus 2 bottles of Grand Matador & 24 bottles of Red Horse Mucho. Whew!
Overall, the Christmas party was fun, no dull moments. Members from the north left at 7am while the rest (mostly from south) stayed and continued the fun until 4pm that day.
Christmas SMS Messages
The SMS Christmas messages I’ve received so far. You may copy them and send to your loved ones on Christmas.
Work of Christmas begins…
When the song of the angels is tilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the Kings and the Princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with the flocks,
Then the work of Christmas begins…
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all people,
to make a little music with the heart…
And to radiate the lights of Christ,
everydaym in every way, in all what we do and
in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.
***
“Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.” – Ruth Carter Stapleton
***
What good is it that Christ was born?
Meister Eckhart once said: “What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart?”
***
Lord, we do far too much celebrating your actual coming in our hearts. I believe in God but do I believe in “God in me?” I believe in God in heaven, but do I believe in “God on earth?” I believe in God out there, but do I believe in “God with us?” Lord, be born in my heart. Come alive in me this Christmas.
***
Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. – Washington Irving
***
C-hristmas gave
H-imself as a
R-eward so that
I-ndividual know the
S-acrifices
T-hat He did for
M-ankind to
A-chieve the gift of
S-alvation
***
“Christmas. my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, its Christmas”. -Dale Evans Rogers
***
“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” -Roy L. Smith
***
“Christmas is not an eternal event at all, but a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart.” -Freya Stark
***
Let us keep Christmas beautiful withouht a thought of greed, that it might live forevermore to fill our every need. That it shall not be just a day, but last at lifetime through, the miracle of Christmas that brings heaven close to you. -Garnett Ann Schultz
***
Let Christmas not become a thing merely of merchant’s trafficking. Of tinsel, bells and wreath and surface pleasure, but beneath the childish glamour, let us find nourishment for heart and mind. Let us follow kinder ways through our teeming human maze, and help the age of peace to come. -Madeline Morse
