Why do we serve ham on Noche Buena? Kuya Kim explains

Ham is the centerpiece of the dinner table on Christmas and New Year's Eve, but do we know how this tradition started?

According to Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras," serving ham is believed to have been started by the ancient Germanic peoples. They offered pork meat to the Norse god Freyr, who rules over harvests.

The word ham came from the Old English world "hamm," which means back of the knee. In the Philippines, it is called "hamon" from the Spanish word "jamon."

But why do we serve a lot of food on Noche Buena in the first place?

Kuya Kim said it started in the 16th century, when the friars told Christians to fast on the evening of Jesus Christ's birth—the good night or "Noche Buena."

A huge meal is then served when the clock strikes 12 to end the fasting.

—MGP, GMA News