As I was around many hotels and malls in Manila, I found that the symbols now seen are the Christmas tree and Santa Claus!
from Wikipedia:
Christmas (Old English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning"Christ's Mass") is an annual commemoration of the birth ofJesus Christ[5][6] and a widely observed holiday, celebrated generally on December 25[2][3][4] by billions of peoplearound the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide.[7] Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations,[8][9][10] is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians,[1][11][12] and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
So, we shouldn't forget one symbol so meaningful... the BELEN or the Nativity!!!
from Wikipedia:
The Nativity of Jesus, also The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus, primarily based on the two accounts in the gospels of Luke and Matthew, and secondarily on some apocryphal texts. The word is anglicized from Latin De nativitate Iesu,
a section title in the Vulgate.
a section title in the Vulgate.
The canonical gospels of Luke and Matthew describe Jesus being born in Bethlehem, in Judea, to a virgin mother. Luke features the Christmas story, in which Joseph and Mary, as part of a census, travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born and laid in a manger.[1] Angels proclaim him a savior for all people, and shepherds come to adore him. In Matthew, wise men follow a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the King of the Jews. King Herod massacres all the toddler boys in Bethlehem to kill Jesus, but the holy family flees to Egypt and later settles in Nazareth.
I was glad I found a huge Nativity set on one of the facades in Ortigas across EDSA Shangrila and SM North EDSA...
In the area, I also saw a glimpse of a BELEN inside the Jollibee Center and asked my friend to take photos of it!
I felt that these were the only two Nativity scenes during my short stay in Manila other than those I saw in the Department Store!
I do hope to see more BELENs as Christmas approaches!!!
Thanks so much po for featuring the belen! I see decorations of Santa and Christmas Trees and Stars, but I rarely see the Nativity Scene, which should be what christmas is all about. :)
ReplyDeleteI just learned in one of my classes during my college years that nativity or belen is the Philippine's symbol for christmas. For all I know it was the parol but I was wrong.
ReplyDeletesince i was kid, i like to help my mom set-up our belen at home, it always excites me
ReplyDeleteBut the parols are lovely too. When we were younger, the parols are usually on top of the belen
ReplyDeleteIn our parish church, we don't have a Christmas tree decor. Instead, we have the Belen, the nativity scene. It should be the important symbol of Christmas. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a Belen yet this season. Try ko nga mag take ng photo ng una kong makikita :)
ReplyDeleteI am excited for the nativity to be open to public viewing in town.. like Vera, wala pa din akung makita na Belen..
ReplyDeleteEvery year I make it a point to have a Nativity display at home. Although my girls bask about the celebration, they still need to understand the reason for the season.
ReplyDeleteOne unforgetable Belen I saw was in a church in one of the towns in Pampanga. It was very humble and it touched me because it is complete with background music:) it is nice to see such lovely nativity scenes in Manila. I also hope more people include Belen in their homes.
ReplyDeleteI think today's generation are much more inclined with the Santa thing and they haven't realized yet that Christmas means CHRIST.
ReplyDeleteNext year I'll see to it I'll set up a BELEN in our home. :)
ReplyDelete