Pasko
sa Nayon (Dec. 11, 2004)
By Pearl Malit
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| Finally,
December arrived! The Pinoy's penchant for Christmas comes to the
fore with the celebration of the annual "Pasko sa Nayon".
The revelry was held last Dec 11th Saturday, at St Williams Church,
in Fridley. The usually sullen basement came alive, decked in Christmas
trimmings. Parols (lanterns) appeared in an explosion of blinking,
pulsating and revolving colors, with other Christmas ornaments adorning
the walls. "Palengke ni Nena" offered a variety of display/merchandise and became a stomping ground for all visitors. There were native goodies, an abundance of music and movie selection, beauty products from Mary Kay, native clothes, jewelry, arts & crafts. As the CSFA tradition has it, FAME (Fil-American Music Ensemble) greeted the gathering crowd with yuletide tunes. Tony Winick emceed the much anticipated Christmas festivities. This year, ushered in yet another facet of the Christmas spirit. Non-perishable goods were received for donation to our kababayans affected by recent tropical storms. UMAC (Boyet & Bebot Mangaliman) shipped the donated items free of charge, in behalf of the MN Filipino community. The kids amongst the crowd joined in the annual performance of the well loved play "Christmas At Home - Sights, Sounds & Scents" depicting scenes for the mere spectacle and enjoyment of it.In addition, the skit had a variety of dances such as the Pandanggo, Oasioas and Tinikling which the dance troupe performed to the gaiety of the season. "Pasko sa Nayon" has also been known as, a children’s party, for obvious reasons. The little ones get to kiss the back of Lolo and Lola's hands, in greeting, expecting candy treats in return. The feast is assimilated by the ever jolly Santa Claus and his helpers, bearing gifts (secretly bought and wrapped by the parents) for the children. Carolers, who all wore red, serenaded the crowd with a decidedly Pinoy beat to traditional Christmas carols. The celebration went on, with increasing fervor and insistence, through the drawing of door prizes, for the young and old alike. Soon after, the crowd lined up to the holiday tables laden and overflowing with favorite dishes and sweets – the perfect excuse to forget about any self-imposed diet. Everyone was savoring the aroma of tempting lechon, afritada, adobo, pancit, spaghetti, chicken wings, arroz caldo, leche flan, pichi-pichi, biko, puto, pineapple turnover cake, fruit salad and lots more. Absolutely, one of the best, if not the best, potluck spread in town! These unique traditions are, in themselves, forms of “art” that shape the way we mark our Christmas season – Pinoy style, and sets its apart from other yuletide celebrations the world over.The memory of the last "Pasko sa Nayon" – the coming together of the community, the feasting, the gift-giving – continues to linger until it's time for "Pasko sa Nayon" all over again. Ahhh… Christmas without end! That’s the way Pinoys like it. |
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