This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2012) |
In the Philippines, Christmas (Filipino: Pasko; [pɐsˈkɔʔ])[a] is a major annual celebration, as in most countries of the Christian world. It is celebrated as a public holiday in the country on December 25, concurrent with other countries.
As one of the two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia (the other one being East Timor), the Philippines celebrates the world's longest Christmas season (Filipino: Kapaskuhan),[1][3] spanning what it refers to as the "ber months".[b] With Christmas music played as early as August,[4] the holiday season gradually begins in September, reaches its peak in December during Christmastide, and concludes within the week after New Year's Day;[5] however, festivities may last until the third Sunday of January, the feast day of the Santo Niño.[6][7] Liturgically, the Christmas season is observed by the Catholic Church from the first day of Advent (the fourth Sunday before Christmas) to Three Kings' Day, which falls between January 2 and 8.[8][9]
In the Philippines, the parol has become an iconic symbol of the Filipino Christmas and is as important to Filipinos as the Christmas tree is to Western cultures.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha>
tags or {{efn}}
templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
template or {{notelist}}
template (see the help page).