What makes the Pinoy Christmas different from the rest of the world?

As soon as the ‘-ber months’ arrive, Filipinos start celebrating Christmas with carols and food. It’s no wonder the Philippines is known for celebrating the longest Christmas season in the world. Filipinos welcome the season uniquely with different flavors and traditions that make Christmas extra special.

The midnight mass or Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo is one of the practices most commonly observed during the season. Most people believe that a wish may be granted to those that will complete all nine masses.

After Simbang Gabi, Filipinos also look forward to freshly cooked bibingka and puto bumbong—signature Filipino holiday treats that are sold in the streets to fill the bellies of hungry churchgoers. To make Christmas traditions truly special and unique for a memorable and #KakaibangPasko, try topping those Christmas favorites with Magnolia Kesong Puti Ice Cream to add flavor and make them tastier.

The parol, from farol, the Spanish term for lantern, was used to light the way to church when no electricity was available yet. Today, the iconic parol lights up every street and window during Christmas time—in homes, offices, churches, and malls.

Noticeably, almost every Filipino family makes it a point to come home for Christmas. OFWs brave the crowded airports as clans, office colleagues, and barkadas gather come together to celebrate. The Filipino’s strong sense of family and preserving ties make Christmas the perfect time to share love and blessings with each other.

Christmas in the Philippines is all about families. It is a time for reunions - catching up with family members that you may not have seen for so long, or answering those personal questions from your darling titas who you love. It is also a time to celebrate growing families – may it be a new-born’s first Christmas or the union of the respective families of newlyweds celebrating instead as one big family. Whatever the scenario, Filipino families make it a point to spend the season with their loved ones in gratitude of their presence and in celebration of their shared love.

Each Filipino family has its own unique way of celebrating the season. Some families prefer to celebrate via a low-key reunion with exchanging of gifts while others have an elaborate program with games and production numbers. For some big families, the young members showcase their talents by dancing to the tunes of the latest pop song to the delight of their uncles and aunts. Some families also have their own traditions – some spend the holidays in their respective provinces, while others visit the country’s tourist destinations.

No get-together is complete without the Christmas handaan. For some families, stepping up the handaan means bringing in new flavors to the table to satisfy the craving for a kakaibang Pasko like cutting hamon into strips and topping them on pasta or serving ice cream as the signature dessert for the ultimate Christmas handaan: the Noche Buena, a traditional family dinner held on Christmas Eve. For most families, this is the centerpiece of their Christmas celebration – with weeks of planning and preparation coming into fruition. So much time and effort have been poured into carefully executing a wonderful meal for the entire family to make sure that everyone enjoys the Noche Buena. Warm conversations filled with love and laughter usually surround this meaningful meal as loved ones celebrate and look back to the year that was.

This Christmas, make your own gathering even more unique! Celebrate your kakaibang Pasko with the kakaibang sarap of Magnolia Ice Cream. Bring in flavors that will surely be loved by all the members of your family like Magnolia Avocado Macchiato, tablea bits and macchiato ripple in avocado ice cream, and Magnolia Mango Dark Chocolate, a combination of mango ice cream with dark chocolate stracciattela and dark chocolate fudge. Enjoy more flavors that will make every celebration memorable like Ube Caramelized Sugar, Avocado Peanut Butter, Mango Salted Caramel, Ube Keso, Macapuno Langka or Kesong Puti.

Make this Christmas memorable and experience all the best flavors the Philippines has to offer with Magnolia Best of the Philippines Ice Cream Collection. Trusted since 1925, Magnolia Ice Cream has always been in the center of all Filipino handaans, especially the Christmas Noche Buena. Enjoy a wide selection of unique flavors from Magnolia Ice Cream to make your Christmas even more unique and truly unforgettable!