Sa maybahay ang aming bati
‘Merry Christmas’ na maluwalhati
Ang pag-ibig ‘pag siyang naghari
Araw-araw ay magiging Paskong lagi
Lyrics from Tagaloglang.com
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I woke up in a sound of kids my age, singing something. I was so curious as to why they are singing in front of the house. But I can't ask Mom as she is busy putting something in our door. When I look at it I can't help but to form an w(°ｏ°)w in my lips because I find that thing in our door really beautiful.
"Oh, is that a kid singing Christmas Carol. Ohh, those cuties. Come here Ruffa, let's watch and hear them together. I'll just go get a gift for them. Just a sec."
"What's with the gift Mom?" I follow her while she's getting a "gift." "And it's not Christmas yet, it's no one's birthday so why you have to give them a gift?"
"We are already on the Ber Months Ruffa. Meaning to say, this is the start where we decorates our house with christmas decorations, ornaments or christmas tree. It is like a countdown to the upcoming Christmas season. And Ruffa we have the longest Celebration of Christmas because ours started on September."
"But what is Ber Months, Mom? Why Ber? Is that a teddy bear?"
"Nope baby, it's September 1 today right? What comes next after September?"
"Hmmm, SempterBer, OctoBer, NovemBer and DecemBer?"
"Okay now, did you notice something on it? Come one say it again."
"SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER and DecemBER? Wait - oh yes Mom. BER! It's their last 3 letters. All of them ended with BER."
"So there yah go, you already got your answer."
"But, why you have to give them a gift Mom? Because they are singing? If I did that will I get a gift too?"
"It's because giving is caring Ruffa. And they are a good kid singing a christmas song, so I want to give them a gift. You give because you want to and also because they deserve that gift, do you want to give this to them?"
"Can I?
"Off course, here. You can give them foods, things or money if you want. Hand this to them after they finish their singing."
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Ang sanhi po ng pagparito
Hihingi po ng aginaldo
Kung sakaling kami’y perhuwisyo
Pasensya na kayo’t kami’y namamasko.
Pasko!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, ANG BABAIT NINYO THANK YOU
Lyrics from Tagaloglang.com
"So, what did you feel when you handed the gift to them?"
"I feel happy Mom, I want to do it again. It makes me feel good when I gave them the gift and I want to feel it again."
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As a kid, I was excited whenever BER months started in the Philippines. It's still far away, but I am already thinking of what kind of gift I will receive from my Ninangs or Godmother. I'm more excited and just waiting for that day to arrive; I have two Ninangs, by the way. Well, as a kid, that's what I felt. Who wouldn't want a Christmas present, right? I am that excited.
The BER months here in the Philippines are always lively and colorful. It's just the first day of September, but some are already playing Christmas songs. And those Christmas ornaments from last year will be used again for those four whole months. Christmas lights will be put up again in the house. Same with the Christmas tree, where every kid will raise their hand to put the star on top.
It is always the kids who are always happy whenever BER months start. A lot of kids in every place will be seen singing and dancing in front of different houses, waiting for gifts for their efforts. And their kind of Christmas tambourine is made from aluminum bottle cups. See, kids in the Philippines are very madiskarti when it comes to the tools they will need for caroling. They don't need to buy it, they just have to make it.
Though I never experienced this because of shyness, I know how much fun it is. Just seeing those kids receiving something for what they did is enough to melt your heart. Their happiness will really show. They will divide the things they get from any house, whether it is food, things, or money, among each other, and then they will go to the next house to do it again. Watching them do that is really fun. I felt the urge to try it. But shyness gets in the way.
But anyway, if before, I am always excited whenever BER months start. Right now, I just feel normal about it. I can't even remember the last time we put up decorations in our home. The Christmas light that we have been using for years is still alive and functional, but we just stopped using it. This BER month is just a normal month for us now. Waiting for it to pass by and then moved on to another month.
It's not like we are not giving importance to it. We are just being practical. Using it means another addition to the electric bill we have to pay. We'd rather just play Christmas songs on our phones than add other things like that. And what's important is that we are happy that Christmas is about to come again. We will just celebrate that on that day and enjoy it too with the family, with a little food on our table.
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Hello beautiful Hivers! I hope you enjoy reading this. It is actually my entry for this week Contest in HivePH community with the Theme: What does -Ber months mean to Filipinos like you?.