平和
和平
평화
ASEAN
22 March 2014
Star of Wonder

Merriest Christmas of all

As Westerners and other Christians sit down to their turkey on 25 December, they should know that the merriest Christmas of all is in Asia, in the Philippines!

As Westerners and other Christians sit down to their turkey on 25 December, they should know that the merriest Christmas of all is in Asia -- in the Philippines, the "Land of Fiestas"!

Christianity has deep roots in Asia.

Indeed, Jesus, the Holy Family and the early Christians come from Palestine, technically still a part of Asia.

The apostle Thomas ("doubting Thomas") ventured to India. Armenia and Georgia, in Central Asia, were the world's first countries to adopt Christianity as their official state religion. Nestorian Christians took their mission to China in the Tang Dynasty.

But it was not until Magellan "discovered" the Philippines, and this archipelago became a Spanish colony, that Christianity developed a solid presence in Asia.

The "pearl of the orient" has about 90 million Christians, or 90% of its population. In other words, there are more Filipino followers of the Gospel than in any individual Western country. And as any visitor can testify, Christianity is practiced very seriously, from its beautiful churches to chapels set up in the country's immense shopping malls.

In the Philippines, Christmas celebrations (Pasko sa Pilipinas) start at the beginning of September, when carols are already sung, and lanterns ("parols") representing the Star of Bethlehem can be displayed. The festivities continue through to at least Epiphany when the arrival of the three wise men (or kings from the east) is celebrated in early January.

This is the world's longest and merriest Christmas season!

One of the highlights of Christmas celebration in the Philippines is simbang gabi, the novena of dawn Masses from 16 December to Christmas Eve. Then, Christmas Eve is celebrated with Midnight Mass, and the traditional Noche Buena feast.

In some provinces the journey of Joseph and Mary in search of lodging is re-enacted. Holy Innocents' Day is commemorated on 28 December as Ninos Inocentes.

The latest possible Christmas celebrations are on the Feast of the Santo Nino (Christ Child) on the third Sunday of January. The Santo Nino de Cebu was the first Christian icon brought to the Philippines, by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.

Christianity is the life-blood of Filipino culture, and gives the country the spiritual strength to cope with the immense number of natural disasters -- from typhoons to earthquakes -- that descend on the country.

This year's Christmas will be a bitter/sweet affair for the country after the tragic super-typhoon Haiyan. Filipinos will be remembering their lost ones, and praying for a speedy recovery. It will be a season of hope, more than merriment in 2013.

All over Asia Christmas celebrations will indeed take place. Timor Leste is another predominantly Christian country, while about one-third of Koreans are also Christian.

Christians only account for a small share of the total populations of China and India. But in these immensely populous countries, the actual numbers are also enormous, perhaps around 50 and 25 million respectively.

Overall, there are more than 250 million Christians in Asia, with perhaps more practicing Christians in Asia than in the Western world.

Asia's rapidly emerging middle classes are perhaps most devoted to shopping. All over the region, the festive season will celebrate this pagan pleasure.

The Chinese Communist Party also has its own way of celebrating Christmas. This is the traditional season for arresting dissidents. The hope is that Western media and publics, immersed as they are in Christmas cheer, might pay less attention to these horrors.

Please take this moment to spare a thought for China's missing bishop, Thaddeus Ma Daqin, whose enforced "retreat" in the Sheshan seminary in the outskirts of Shanghai continues after almost 18 months. According to the BBC, Bishop Ma is being sent to political lessons - communist indoctrination by any other name - three times a week.

Bishop Ma incurred the wrath of the Communist Party by announcing in Shanghai's Catholic Cathedral his resignation from the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA). The CPA has governed the church in China since 1957, co-opting it into the structure of the state and ensuring that it is unable to become an alternative centre of power.


The Asian Century Institute would like to take this opportunity to extend our best wishes for the festive season to all of our followers. We hope that 2014 will bring you and your families joy and happiness.

We thank you for your support this year, and look forward connecting with you again in 2014, as we all try to navigate the ups and downs of the Asian Century.

Author

John West
Executive Director
Asian Century Institute
www.asiancenturyinstitute.com
Tags: asean, philippines, christmas, pasko sa pilipinas, simbang gabi

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