Xmas Countdown: December 23: 2 days to go!In the Philippines, children in small groups go from house to house singing Christmas carols, which they called pangangaroling. Makeshift instruments include tambourines made with tansans (aluminum bottle caps) strung on a piece of wire. With the traditional chant of "Namamasko po!",
these carolers wait expectantly for the homeowners to reward them with
coins. Afterward, the carolers thank the generous homeowners by singing
"Thank you, thank you, ang babait ninyo (you are so kind), thank you!"
More recently, caroling has become a fund-raising activity. Church
choirs or youth groups spend weeks rehearsing Christmas carols then draw
up a schedule of visits to wealthy patrons in their homes or even
corporate offices (often coinciding with the office Christmas party).
These are, in effect, mini Christmas concerts, with excellent
performances amply rewarded with an envelope of cash or checks. The
choirs then use the funds for goodwill projects. Unlike the traditional
children's caroling, the singers do not partake of the earnings, but
rather donate their share to the group's projects.
A maritime lawyer by profession, sometimes called Frog Prince of the Philippines with currently more than a thousand of collectible frog items. Like the frogs with a reputation for leaping that is well deserved, jump with me to my froglandia as we travel and explore the world seeking symbols of divine powers of love, fertility, regeneration, rebirth, immortality, and transformation.
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