As I was around many hotels and malls in Manila, I found that the symbols now seen are the Christmas tree and Santa Claus!
from Wikipedia:
Christmas (Old English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning
"Christ's Mass") is
an annual commemoration of the birth ofJesus Christ[5][6] and a widely observed holiday,
celebrated generally on December 25[2][3][4] by billions of peoplearound the world. A feast central
to the Christian liturgical year, it
closes the Advent season
and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide.[7] Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations,[8][9][10] is celebrated by an increasing
number of non-Christians,[1][11][12] and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
So, we shouldn't forget one symbol so meaningful... the BELEN or the Nativity!!!
from Wikipedia:
The Nativity of Jesus, also The Nativity, refers to the
accounts of the birth of Jesus, primarily based on the two accounts in
the gospels of Luke and Matthew, and
secondarily on some apocryphal texts. The word is anglicized from
Latin De nativitate Iesu,
a section title in the Vulgate.
The canonical gospels of Luke and Matthew describe Jesus
being born in Bethlehem, in Judea, to a virgin mother. Luke
features the Christmas story, in which Joseph and Mary, as part of a census,
travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born and laid in a manger.[1] Angels proclaim him a savior for all
people, and shepherds come to adore him. In Matthew, wise men follow a star to
Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the King
of the Jews. King Herod massacres all the toddler boys in
Bethlehem to kill Jesus, but the holy family flees to Egypt and later settles
in Nazareth.
I was glad I found a huge Nativity set on one of the facades in Ortigas across EDSA Shangrila and SM North EDSA...
In the area, I also saw a glimpse of a BELEN inside the Jollibee Center and asked my friend to take photos of it!
I felt that these were the only two Nativity scenes during my short stay in Manila other than those I saw in the Department Store!
I do hope to see more BELENs as Christmas approaches!!!
We have a belen at home. If my memory serves me right, the belen set we have at home had been with our family even before I was born.
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