December 2009 tagaloglang.com/disyembre
It soon will be Christmas.
Isang linggo na lang at Pasko na!
Just one week left and it’s Christmas already!
Simbang Gabi is Tagalog for “Night Worship” or “Night Mass.” Filipinos attend pre-dawn masses in the nine days before Christmas Eve. It is known as Misa de Gallo (Rooster’s Mass) in Spanish.
Attending Simbang Gabi for nine straight days is a cherished Filipino tradition in December. The usual ritual is to rise very early and attend the mass at 4:00 am, and then afterward enjoy native delicacies sold by vendors right outside the church. Favorites include puto bumbong (purple-colored rice steamed in bamboo tubes and served with grated coconut and brown sugar) and bibingka (a flat rice cake traditionally served on banana leaves). The drinks of the season are salabat (ginger tea) and tsokolate.
We currently have two Tagalog Christmas poems on the site.
Pasko Na! (Christmas Already!) written by Benigno Zamora in 1904.
Ang Magandang Parol (The Beautiful Lantern) by Jose Corazon de Jesus, published in 1928.
Neither one has been translated into English. If you submit your complete translation to the site, we’ll post it crediting you as the translator and mention it in the next newsletter.
Here are a few Tagalog phrases you can include in your holiday cards to Filipino friends:
Ngayong Pasko, sana mapuno ang iyong puso ng kapayapaan.
This Christmas, may your heart be filled with peace. (for a person not older)
Ngayong Pasko, sana mapuno po ang inyong puso ng kapayapaan.
This Christmas, may your heart be filled with peace. (to an older person)
Sana mapuno ang inyong mga puso ng kapayapaan at pagpapala ngayong Pasko.
May your hearts be filled with peace and blessings this Christmas. (to two or more people)
Sana magustuhan mo ang regalo ko sa iyo.
Hope you like my gift to you. (casual, to one person)
Sana magustuhan mo ang pamasko ko.
Hope you like my Christmas gift. (casual, to one person)
Sana magustuhan ninyo ang regalo ko.
Hope you like my gift. (to more than one person)
Sana magustuhan po ninyo ang regalo ko.
Hope you like my gift. (to an older person)
The word for gift is regalo, but the special word for “Christmas gift” is pamasko. And the Filipino version of Secret Santa is called Monito Monita or Kris Kringle.
You can try customizing gift items with Tagalog words at http://zazzle.com/tagalog*
Recordings and translations of Filipino yuletide favorites https://www.tagaloglang.com/christmas-songs
For more on Filipino Christmas traditions, see https://www.tagaloglang.com/christmas
Our next newsletter is scheduled to come out on Christmas Eve.
– Your Friends at TagalogLang.com
PS: We’re now actively seeking direct advertisers in order to cover the cost of running the site. If you know of anyone who would like to advertise, please tell them to send a message here. Salamat. Thank you.
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