One of the hazards in the Philippines on New Year's Eve is stray bullets. That's because of a certain Filipino tradition during the year-end holiday festivities to welcome the new year. Clue: It's somehow related to the American celebration of Independence Day on the Fourth of July.
Filipino Customs on New Year's Eve
By the way, have you already learned how to say 'Happy New Year' in Tagalog? You have just a few days left before 2009!
December 16 is when "Simbang Gabi" starts in the Philippines. It is a series of nine Catholic masses, one everyday before sunrise until Christmas Eve. Filipinos go to church at four o’clock in the morning and afterward have breakfast together.
Here's a list of books with the best collection of pictures of the Philippines. They'd make stylish gifts this Christmas!
1. Tropical Living: Contemporary Dream Houses in the Philippines features a generation of young Filipino designers exploring stylish, sophisticated ways to keep spaces cool and airy.
2. Tropical Interiors contains 250 color photographs taken in more than 30 private homes showcasing indigenous Philippines materials -- pina, abaca, capiz shell, bamboo and rattan. 3. Exciting Philippines: A Visual Journey has with over 100 full-color photographs of its people, festivals and architecture. 4. 25 Tropical Houses in the Philippines by Filipino architects and designers with ideas that show 21st-century savvy. Works by 20 designers beyond traditional conventions toward Asian fusion trends from pavilion-houses in Manila to elegant vacation homes of Batangas and Mindoro. 5. Burning Heart: A Portrait of the Philippines is a beautiful collection of photographs about the lives of real Filipinos -- poor, desperate faces that contrast with the natural beauty of the country.Get them from an independent bookseller online at Alibris or buy from your local bookstore. We've got to support independent booksellers!!!