Simbang Gabi day 09 the loveliest song
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in15 Thursday Dec 2022
Posted Church Philippines, Culture, Religion
infrom a Rolando M. Gripaldo study
The non-Islamized tribes of the Philippines were animistic communities headed by the chieftain or datu. He or she in many cases was the ruler, lawgiver, and sometimes a high priest at the same time. The people believed that virtually everything such as trees, creeks, rocks, etc. are inhabited by spirits. According to a British anthropologist, Edward Burnett Tylor (1974), who called this religious belief “animism” in his book, Primitive culture, such a belief system is a natural development that dates to prehistoric times. Tylor argues that primitive people experienced in visions, dreams, and hallucination the presence of dead relatives which made them infer that lifeless bodies were inhabited by souls or anima. Ultimately, they believed that these souls continued living and dwelt as spirits in rivers, trees, rocks, skies, etc.
Other anthropologists, thought, however, that primitive men of Paleolithic times were not that intellectually sophisticated as proposed by Tylor as to think in terms of spiritual explanations, but rather they simply inferred based on their sentiments and intuitions that animate objects do have lives and wills of their own while inanimate objects may likewise have lives and wills in that they somehow behaved in some mysterious ways that made them appear alive. But they did not distinguish the soul and body as two separate entities.
Later, many of these nomadic groups became farming villages. Therefore, they started practicing “paganism,” or the Neolithic polytheistic beliefs that there are gods and goddesses with individual responsibilities in all aspects of nature. Daniel Quinn, makes a distinction between “animism” and “paganism”:
“It’s easy to distinguish animism from paganism. Paganism is a farmer’s religion (“pagan” means “of the country”). There were no farmers here until about ten thousand years ago. Before that, the religion of humanity was animism (and it still is among tribal peoples). It’s not, in fact, a religion in the way most people think of religion [i.e., organized religion]. It’s based on no “religious” belief. Rather, it embodies a worldview: the world is a sacred place, and humans belong in that sacred place. The religions of our culture (the “major” religions) perceive the world to be a place of illusion and evil—not a sacred place, but rather a place to be escaped from in order to reach some “better” place that is our true home. At the same time, the religions of our culture perceive humans to be fundamentally flawed, so that if the world were a sacred place, humans wouldn’t belong in it. In the view of our culture’s religions, humans are miserable creatures living in a miserable place”.
By the time the Spaniards came to the Philippines, some native tribes had already become farming communities with paganism as their religion. Other communities in certain parts of the archipelago were already Islamic in religion, particularly in Mindanao and some parts of the Visayas and Luzon. The early Christianization of the Philippines was rather slow. The first recorded baptism occurred in Cebu in 1521 during the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan who is said to have discovered the archipelago. In the course of time, the Christianization process spread to the different islands and areas of the Philippines, but its success was partly due to the tolerance allowed by political and religious authorities for the natives to embrace Catholicism while simultaneously incorporating some elements of their animistic and pagan practices. These give rise to what is known in the Philippines as folk Catholicism or folk Christianity. As King (2002, 5) says: Animism is a term for any religion in which souls of dead people or spirits of nature play an important role. . . . (like) offerings and special festivals may be held to honour the souls of the dead. Followers . . . also may worship spirits believed to exist in fields, hills, trees, water, and other parts of nature. . . . This often happens, for example, in the religious practices of Southeast Asian folk traditions.
Cult of the Child Jesus (Sto. Niño)
Images of the adult Jesus are venerated like the image of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo Church, brought by the Augustinian Recollects from Mexico to the Philippines between the 16th and 17thcenturies, and the Crucified Christ. The image of the Child Jesus, however, is also venerated. As was said: “Worshippers bathe images of the Santo Niño, or Holy Child. They clothe the statues with rich brocade, treating the Child Jesus as a princely guest in their homes.” They believed the Sto. Niño can help them in times of need can protect them from danger. The devotion of the Child Jesus in Tondo had the fluvial parade with children dancing with merriment. But some “devotees treat their images like spoiled babies,” like mannequins, or like favourite pets. Some businessmen display the Santo Niño image sided by side with the Buddha image for good luck.
Ferdinand Dagmang, who is a priest himself, describes how a group of people express their devotion to the Santo Niño in Calumpang, Marikina. He says:
“ In this ritual their recognized leader and educator in faith (Mang Bening) was believed to be used as a medium by the Santo Niño and sometimes by Jesus and on rare occasions by God the Father. In most of their meetings where the Santo Niño presents himself through Mang Bening, healing was the central event where the “God-man encounter” happens. In instances where Jesus appear, there usually is no healing session but a pangaral, an exhortation or hortatory message on how to conduct one’s life or how to deal with one’s kapwa (fellow human being).When God the Father in Mang Bening appeared, the setting becomes that of “fear and trembling” where the Father castigates the errant members or the more hard-hearted ones among the group……My literature study on the topic led me to the discovery of the pre-Hispanic rituals of sapi among native babaylans (or catalonan, baglan, baylanes, mambunong, etc.). These indigenous priestesses (and sometimes priests) of yesteryears were the recognized mediums of anito (spirit) worship….I found out that in pre-Hispanic times religion was healing and healing was areligious ceremony that the folks usually held in places called simbahan, their place of worship….…In this sapi [or langkap, talaytay, suklob, sanib, tungtong] ritual, the babaylan was supposed to be possessed by a benevolent anito (spirit) who brings blessings and healing to sick people. Prayers and sacrifices were the normal offerings to the benevolent anito who is supposed to be more powerful than the malevolent ones. Within these ritual-meetings, people would also ask the anito in the babaylan other favours like protection of their crops from locusts or their lives from the dangerous buwaya [crocodiles] that inhabit their rivers….
In pre-Hispanic times, some persons would have the experience of being “filled”(possessed) by spirits, sometimes by benevolent ones. In our present context, both the medium and the spirits are Christianized. The spirits are now the saints and the divine persons of the Trinity”. [edited]
Dagmang tries to explain this phenomenon of the sapi in a positive light by quoting some Biblical verses. John to Jesus: “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” Jesus: “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us” (Mk. 9:38-40).
08 Thursday Dec 2022
Posted Church Philippines, Culture
in1. Starting Christmas in the -ber months
Filipinos enjoy a four-month long Christmas season. If you look up “longest Christmas season in the world”, the Philippines will come up as a result. For most, Christmas starts in December. But for Filipinos, Christmas starts the moment it’s September.
2. Setting up a Belen
In most countries, nativity scenes – also known as the belen – are only set up in churches or other religious spaces. But in the Philippines, it’s common to find it everywhere. In fact, every Filipino household will have one set up during the festive season. A complete set is comprised of baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Three Kings, as well as every barn animal you can think of, but many belens exclude the last two since they’re not as essential. Whether it’s made of the original porcelain or recycled materials, you’ll see one in schools, building lobbies, and homes. Some schools and barangays even hold competitions for the best belen, making for some lavish displays.
3. Adorning buildings and posts with a parol
Everyone knows about Christmas lights, but the Philippines has the parol, a Christmas ornament unique to us. Traditionally, parols come in the shape of a big circle with a star in the middle, but you can also choose from various designs like stars and flowers. It can also be made from different materials like plastic, wire, wood, or even recyclable materials. The parol was originally made to hang on lamp posts to guide mass-goers to Simbang Gabi, but now they can be found everywhere like outside houses, in malls, and offices.
4. Attending Simbang Gabi
Simbang Gabi means “night mass”, which is basically what it is. Filipinos attend mass either late at night or in the wee hours of the morning for all 9 days before Christmas. We try to complete all 9 days, both as a religious practice and because of the belief that attending all 9 masses will grant you a wish. To go with the season, churches are decorated to add a Christmas flair, and vendors often sell local Christmas goods like bibingka and puto bumbong outside after the mass.
5. Indulging in Christmas food like bibingka and puto bumbong
Staying up or getting up for Simbang Gabi might make you hangry, but a serving of bibingka and puto bumbong should do the trick and calm you down. These are the two most popular and most loved Christmas treats that Filipinos never miss out on. Both are variations of rice cakes – bibingka is baked in clay pots and leaves, while puto bumbong is steamed in bamboo tubes.
6. Caroling from house to house
For most countries, Christmas caroling means a whole production of good vocals, coordinated outfits, instruments, and well-practiced Christmas tunes. For us, it’s become a humorous affair. Filipino kids and adults alike go from house to house, starting from early December. Lyric books and Christmas costumes are ditched for recycled instruments and made up lyrics. From the a-brim-bram-brooms to the jinggom bells, caroling is a sure mark that Christmas is coming.
7. Attending Misa de Gallo on Christmas Eve
Regular Sunday masses follow a routine, but everything is extra special on Christmas. The Christmas mass that most Filipinos attend, Misa de Gallo, differs from regular Sunday mass. It’s a celebration that includes lighting candles, projector displays, and sometimes a re-enactment of the story of how baby Jesus was born Misa de Gallo is also the first mass after the 9 days of Simbang Gabi. It is believed that if you go to all 9 days of Simbang Gabi, you can make a wish during Misa de Gallo.
8. Waking up for Noche Buena
Most people eat their Christmas dinner either on Christmas Eve or Christmas night, but Filipinos often wake up at midnight to welcome Christmas day with Noche Buena, a lavish feast of traditional Filipino Christmas dishes like lechon, queso de bola, hamon, spaghetti, and fruit salad.
Most Filipino families are also separated for most of the year, with kids off at college and parents going overseas for work. The mundane act of preparing Noche Buena is also something we look forward to, because it’s a time to prep meals and cook together as a whole family.
9. Manito-Manita
Exchanging gifts the straightforward way is boring, so we put a Filipino twist on it. Not only do you have to find the perfect present for your manita or manito, you also have to describe them, have everyone guess who it is, and sing the classic I Love My Manita/Manito Yes I Do song before giving your gift. It sounds like a lot of work, but ‘tis the season of giving, and it’s a joy to see how happy everyone gets from all their gifts.
10. Awaiting Aguinaldo or Pamasko
This is for the kids who are on the lookout for their ninangs and ninongs all season long. Gifts are fun to unwrap, but receiving a red envelope is just as exciting. Gifted by godparents to their godchildren, the money in these ang pao often go to savings, or a nice treat for yourself for the Christmas season. Whether you receive P20s, or the big blue ones, we should never forget to be grateful.
11. Waking up for Media Noche
Christmas doesn’t end on the 25th for us Filipinos. While most welcome the new year by partying it up with friends, our family-centric culture observes one more lavish feast – Media Noche. The table is usually adorned with food formed into round shapes and an assortment of 12 round fruits, since circles are believed to bring in good fortune.
Aside from that, there’s also the belief that loud sounds will keep the bad spirits from entering the new year, so we make as much noise as possible when the clock strikes midnight – be it with car alarms, instruments, a torotot, or sparklers and firecrackers.
12. Ending Christmas in January with the Feast of the Three Kings
Even our priests say Christmas isn’t over until January. The Feast of the Three Kings, or the Epiphany, is the celebration of the day the Three Kings reached Jesus’ manger. It’s also considered the last day of our lengthy Christmas season. Epiphany occurs on the first Sunday of January, which means Christmas continues until well into the new year.
from TESMARTLOCAL