“Here in the Philippines, Christmas starts in September,” says Eunice, our Tondo site director. By November, families are inundated with invitations and events, and they don’t stop until January.
“But,” she says, “it is not only about parties and gifts to look forward to, but also the intimate gathering of the family to give thanks to the Lord.”
Throughout the year, the families delight in celebrating other holidays and occasions with their friends and community — but Christmas and New Years are about family.
The center point for every family’s Christmas gathering is Noche Buena, a Christmas Eve meal enjoyed after a late Mass.
“The preparation for Noche Buena is itself an act of love,” Eunice says. It’s a whole family affair — parents are cooking, the eldest is at the market buying pasties, younger children are elbow-deep in dishes, and someone will be dispatched to the local shop for a forgotten ingredient.
“More than just a feast, Noche Buena embodies the importance of familial bonds and the expression of gratitude for Filipino families,” says Eunice. Sponsored children are especially grateful to Chalice for our Christmas Wonderfund, which ensures their family can have all the classic elements of a true, traditional Noche Buena meal, and have enough to feed their entire extended family. Must-have dishes include stir-fried pancit noodles, spring rolls, and salad.
Eunice says that the Christmas WonderFund ensures families “fully celebrate during Noche Buena [by] allowing them to focus on the true meaning of Christmas: family, gratitude, and love.”
Lumpiang Shangha spring rolls for Noche Buena
Lumpiang Shanghai is a classic Filipino dish of deep-fried spring rolls filled with ground meat and vegetables, and it’s a popular choice for Noche Buena, the traditional Filipino Christmas Eve feast.
Lumpiang Shangha
- ¼ kg. lean pork, ground
- ¼ kg. shrimps, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup water chestnuts (or potatoes), finely chopped
- 4 pcs. dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked then chopped
- ½ cup spring onion, finely cut
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 40 pcs. lumpia wrapper or egg roll wrap (available at Asian grocery stores)
In a bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
Blend in egg and soy sauce. Mix thoroughly.
At one end of a lumpia wrapper, spoon about 2 tbsps. of the port mixture and roll tightly.
Brush end of wrapper with water to seal. Cut rolls into 2-inch pieces.
Deep fry. Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ cup stock or water
- 2 tsps. cornstarch dispersed in 1 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. cooking oil
- 2 tbsps. tomato catsup
Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, stock, and cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat cooking oil. Fry tomato catsup.
Add vinegar mixture and boil until thick.