Imagine hearing “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in mid-September, just as the calendar has turned and summer has not quite faded. In the Philippines, that is nothing unusual. It is actually the signal that the Christmas season has officially begun.
As soon as September arrives, malls dress up in shimmering ornaments, streetlights are wrapped in colorful displays, and Christmas songs fill the air from shopping centers to gas stations.
The Philippines even holds the record for the longest Christmas celebration in the world, lasting a full four months from September to January.
“Ber Months”: When the Calendar Marks the Start of Christmas
Filipinos refer to the period from September to December as the “Ber months,” a term derived from the common “-ber” ending of the month names in English: September, October, November, and December.
Behind this phenomenon lies a much deeper foundation: religion. Around 92 percent of the Philippine population is Christian, with more than 80 percent identifying as Roman Catholic, a proportion that even exceeds the number of Catholics in Italy itself. A 2020 survey by Social Weather Stations found that 88 percent of Filipinos consider themselves very or fairly religious.
One of the most sacred expressions of this religiosity is the Simbang Gabi tradition, a series of dawn masses held for nine consecutive days from December 16 to 24, sometimes beginning as early as 2:30 a.m.
Believed to have been introduced by Spanish missionaries in the 17th century, this tradition continues to be observed by millions of worshippers today.
The peak of the celebration is the Christmas Eve mass on December 24, the most anticipated moment in the entire season. Masses are also widely attended on December 25, December 31, and January 1, making the celebration not merely a cultural tradition, but a spiritual commitment renewed each year.
Family Reunions and a Table That Never Empties
Christmas in the Philippines is inseparable from one word: family. Nearly 10 percent of the Filipino workforce is employed overseas, and Christmas becomes the one moment each year when many of them finally return home.
The remittances they send throughout the year contribute up to 9 percent of the national GDP. Yet during this season, they are not seen as economic lifelines, but as children, parents, and siblings who have been deeply missed.
The dining table becomes the heart of the celebration. Iconic dishes such as caldereta, a rich goat stew with potatoes, carrots, olives, and peas, are served alongside Filipino spaghetti, a local adaptation of Italian Bolognese with a distinctly sweet tomato sauce made from banana ketchup and brown sugar, topped with sliced sausages.
At midnight on Christmas Eve, families gather for Noche Buena, a festive meal shared together, often accompanied by rented karaoke machines that fill the night with music. The celebration officially concludes in January with Epiphany, or the Feast of the Three Kings, completing a four-month cycle unlike any other in the world.
The Origins of Christmas in the Philippines
Long before Christmas became embedded in everyday Filipino life, its story is said to have begun in Bolinao, Pangasinan, in 1324. A Franciscan friar named Father Odoric of Pordenone was forced to dock along the Bolinao coast due to bad weather. His arrival was initially met with hostility from locals who were wary of outsiders.
Yet Father Odoric remained steadfast. He stood in silent prayer, holding a black cross in his hands. In time, the people of Bolinao came to see that he posed no threat.
The atmosphere shifted. Hostility gave way to a warm welcome, and for the first time, a Catholic mass was celebrated on Philippine soil.
This historic moment, along with the baptism of several Malay migrants encountered by Father Odoric during his journey, is believed to have taken place on December 25, 1324—two centuries before the Spanish colonial period.
The story is commemorated by a historical marker at St. James the Great Church in Bolinao. However, its authenticity remains debated. There are no official Vatican records confirming that Father Odoric carried out a mission in the Philippines, and the account has largely been preserved through oral tradition.
Whether fact or legend, the story remains a fascinating part of the origins of Christmas in the Philippines.
