‘PASKO SA DANAO’ – WHAT DO YOU MISS?
December 14, 2002
[Note: Originally posted on Kaming Danawanon, Vol V, No. 5 Nov-Dec 199.]
As signs of the holiday season, from radio music, to mall decors, to the cool weather get into our systems, older U.S. Pinoys start to get nostalgic and feel an irresistitble urge to visit their hometown and reconnect with old friends and relatives for Christmas.
But it seems this doesn’t hold true among Danawanons in the U.S. Rather, the city fiesta in September actually beckons more Dananawons than does Christmas.
Someone said maybe we’re just very kuripot (stingy) scared of our many friends and relatives asking for pinaskohan so we don’t go home on Christmas.
Since my high school in 1967 I have never spent a hometown Christmas and I have almost forgotten what I was missing.
I guess there was nothing much happening at Christmas in Danao that would draw Danawanon back home at this time of year.
In many Filipino literatures, travel brochures, magazines, in Christmas jingles, so much we read or heard about this unique Filipino tradition of Pasko, such as “Misa de Gallo’, musikeros, aguinaldos, ‘mano po ninong, mano po ninang”, etc.