North America
Europe
Asia
Africa, Africa
South America
Australia
Antarctica, Antarctica
Hand movements
North America – wave with left hand because this is where we live
Europe – make a small circle with your right hand because Europe is small
Asia – make a large circle with your right hand because Asia is the largest
Africa – swing your hands like cradling a baby because Africa is in the middle
South America – make a snake motion down low with your left hand because anacondas live in South America
Australia – make the “hang loose” sign down low with your right hand
Antarctica – move your feet like a penguin
Good morning (evening in the States) from downtown Manila. Actually I am in Makati City, one of 16 cities that makes up Metropolitan Manila. The streets, shops and hotels are lined with Christmas trees, lights, lanterns and larger-than-life toy soldiers.
It is said that the Philippines has the longest Christmas season in the world. Where else can you find Christmas carols being played as early as late October, and Christmas decors being taken down only after the Feast of the Three Kings on January 6?
Many Filipino yuletide traditions have their roots from the Spanish colonial era. It is customary for Filipino families to sit down to a feast on Christmas Eve after the Christmas Eve mass. Called the Noche Buena, the feast is in part a thanksgiving for the blessings of the year past, as well as a prayerful feast for a prosperous year to come. Traditionally on every table are the jamon (ham) and queso de bola (cheese).
Christmas morning sees children setting out to visit their godparents. It is customary for Filipino children to kiss the hands (mano) of their godparents on Christmas Day. Godparents, in turn, have gifts (aguinaldo) waiting for the children.
The monito-monita, roughly translated to mean secret friend, traces its roots to the Western folklore of Saint Nick, or Santa Claus, or Kris Kringle. In offices and schools, the tradition of giving gifts to friends has become a tradition.
Another tradition is the hanging of lanterns in front of the house. Not content with having a Christmas tree (green, white or aluminum – it doesn’t really matter), the Filipino home will not be found without a parol (lantern) during the Christmas season. Traditional parols are usually made with colored paper and bamboo sticks, usually fitted with lighting devices or lightbulbs to bring out colors during the evening. San Fernando in Pampanga, a province northwest of Manila, is famous for making lanterns that produce a kaleidoscope of colors through an ingenious lighting system that relies on bulbs switching on and off in a programmed sequence.
So Merry Christmas from Manila. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday.
Taken from http://filipino.biz.ph/pasko/xmaslongest.html