Namamasko po!

I went biking this morning to burn off some calories and as I was biking around, I noticed something that I had often taken for granted that only happens on twice in the Philippines: Pinoy-style trick-or-treating!

You would see kids everywhere in their Sunday best going from house to house and knocking on doors, shouting: "Namamasko po!"  While this kind of behavior happens only on Halloween in America, in the Philippines it happens on totally different days!  The first one is on Christmas day (which is today!) where the kids visit their godparents and just about anybody's house to ask for Christmas gifts (or blessings!). And the second is during the feast day of the Barangay patron saint, or better known as the fiesta.

Of course if you happen to be the homeowner that these kids would chance upon, you'd be hard-pressed not to give something to these kids.  Be it some pocket change or some food, a little something will go a long way to spread the Christmas spirit.  Of course it wouldn't hurt to ask them to sing a Christmas carol or two for you to liven things up!  And as I went around our area, I can't help but smile as I see that people everywhere are celebrating such an important event in the Christian world.

The other day that this trick-or-treating happens is on patron saint feast days.  Each Barangay (smallest unit of government in the Philippines) has a patron saint and everywhere in the country, many people still celebrate this.  Every household would have parties and guests would come from far and wide just to partake in the food and merriment.  Most school reunions are also held on the week of the feast as the alumnus are expected to come home for the fiesta.  And of course, you'd see people going from house-to-house asking for some form of shared blessing!

It's no surprise that these two events are also the primary drivers of an influx of Filipinos who will try to make their way home from far and wide.  Many OFW's will choose to come home either on the feast day of the patron saint, on Christmas, or both!  Anyways, I'm just blathering away here.  Have yourself a merry Christmas!  God bless us all!