CHRISTMAS SHARINGS - Paeng

RAFAEL YABUT, Ushering Christmas in September



Napakarami nang pasko ang lumipas and many of those images of past christmases were starting to dim in memory, but here are a few that seem to glisten back when christmas is being talked about:

When I was much younger around ante-teen years, our family always attended the midnight mass at the poblacion church. The church was always full every christmas eve and arriving late would mean one and half to two hours of leg punishment standing at the side aisles or back of the church. The wall of the church with "lapida" of some dead person soon became the restful place of tired and sleepy shoulders. My mother and sisters saw to it that we were early and even seating at the last pews were blessing enough. Being young and senseless yet, my ear to music was so keen. The choir at the upper floor level at the far end of the church, without any amps, rendered the "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" soprano style and made me feel so afloat and soon asleep. No amount of tugging from my sister could wake me. One of my sisters would pinch me before the big rush to exit the church.

Being the youngest and only boy in the family with 4 sisters, it dawned on me to be responsible for making the yearly lantern - the 5 star "parol". Nothing fancy but colorful enough when hanged at our front window. My parol was not lighted but complete with ribbonetes along the edges of the star and the halo holding of the 5 pointed rays. There were three tails hanging at the bottom 3 rays resembling the travelling night stars in the dark sky. Making parol was even more inspiring and at times urgent when Rafael Yabut excites us all to christmas celebration with his audacious carols of "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells" in as early as the first few weeks of September.

I am sure everyone remembers the early morning "misa de gallo". I remember my sister Belen waking me up early and we trekked to church located in Poblacion about a kilometer away from us. It's chilly but by the time we reached church we were all warmed up and I am fully waken. At times being young my body like sleeping and that became unavoidable. On the way home, we stopped at a panaderia to buy my favorite "bonete" bread. After I got enrolled for two years of my high school at St James Institute, my misa de gallo took different aspect - like a Sunday obligation with no more napping and snoring at the pew.

Thank you Eve for asking. It is "pasko na nga."


(Ako ang dapat magpasalamat, Paeng! Yes! Noong araw, basta tumuntong na ang buwan na may “ber” sa huli, tulad ng September, maririnig na natin sa radyo, kay Rafael Yabut, ang mga awiting pamasko. Noon, halos wala pang OPM or tagalog na Christmas carols. Pawang ingles pang lahat. Feel na feel natin ang “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright…” Kahit pa nga walang snow sa Pilipinas, sige pa rin tayo sa pagkanta ng “dashing thru the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, o’er the fields we go, laughing all the way…” Ang maganda ay ito – “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know, where the treetops glisten and children listen…” as if naman, alam natin kung ano ang snow o ano ang feeling ng may snow!

Of course ngayon, marami na sa atin ang nakaranas nang maglakad sa snow… lalo na ang mga OFW na naghahanap-buhay sa malalamig na bansang tulad ng Canada at USA. Sila naman, ayon sa kanila, ang nangangarap ng lamig ng simoy Pasko na naiibsan ng isang hindi kakapalang pangginaw o balabal, simbang-gabing ibinabando ng isang lumilibot na musikero, mainit na tsaa at masarap na bibingka’t puto bumbong, at mga reyunyon ng pamilya. Mapapalad ang nakakauwi ng Pilipinas upang makapiling ang mga naiwang kaanak. Ang iba naman na kasama na ang pamilya sa paninirahan sa ibang bansa, ang pinagbabalikan na lamang ay ang alaala ng mga Paskong nagdaan ng kanilang kamusmusan, ng kanilang kabataan, nang ni wala sa hinagap na isang araw, ang Pilipinas ay kanilang lilisanin.

Sa ganitong pagkakataon, halina at tayo ay maglunoy na muli sa batis ng mga gunita.)